Into the Blue:A Riku Story:
by Emi Hikari
Summary: Two years after the events of Kingdom Hearts II, Riku is finally home, but still feeling alone as ever. But when a mysterious girl washes up on the shores of Destiny Islands, Riku discovers someone was watching him all along...
1. Introduction

Intro!

Memo: Well, this is Riku's story! It's pretty sad at some parts, but it's funny and romantic. I really hope the Riku fangirls don't kill me...Haha, I'm sure you're all wondering what I did this time...whoops. Well, like before, it has a good ending. This is like Kingdom Hearts 2 had come out but the girl hasn't played it, okay? OKAY! ^.^ So enjoy! XD

You sit quietly in Mr. Holmes's classroom, trying to pay attention to what he's saying. But you really could care less about how John Brown died. After all, that's history, isn't it? What you really need to focus on is the present. That's what you've been trying to convince yourself since you came home this summer.

Last year was amazing, up until the very end. All the people you met, all the stuff you did, all the things you learned...it was way more educational and interesting than this. And him...he was...too good for words. You can remember him too clearly...his touch, his smile, his voice, and his eyes. All so perfect. He was so fun, too-

"Miss Nichols, is there something you'd like to share with the class?" Mr. Holmes suddenly asks you. Back to the present...

"Um..." You soon realize you were smiling to yourself again. "I'd rather not." You don't want to tell anyone. No one can know... Besides, the only two people you'd tell are gone, too, so...

"And why is that?"

"I really wish you wouldn't press the issue, but if you insist, it's because it's my own personal business."

"Once again, why is that?" he asks.

"Well, sir, in all due respect, it wouldn't be personal if I told everyone, now would it?" A few giggles fly throughout the classroom. Oh, great, now he's going to ask to see you after class. That always happens when he gets a reaction from the class.

"Rei, please see me after class." Called it.

"Fine, fine," you say, waving your hand as if swatting a fly.

The rest of class passes-it's seventh period, by the way-and the bell rings. Everyone runs outside but you. You casually get your stuff out and sit on the desk, holding it in your arms as if it were precious cargo.

"Rei, I'm worried about you," Mr. Holmes says. Well, of course he is...he's your uncle.

"Don't be, I'm fine."

"What happened to you this past year? You've changed."

"Yes, I have. I am much wiser than you will ever know," you say, rolling your eyes.

"I'm serious."

"So am I."

He gives you a stare down before continuing. "Rei, you really do seem...different. You won't tell anyone about what happened to you. Please, tell me. You can trust me. You know that." He rests his hand on your shoulder and you quickly squirm out from under his gentle grasp.

"Don't touch me," you whisper. You can't stand human touch anymore, not after him...

"Rei, were you raped or something?" he asks, a little shocked by your reaction.

"No, I was not. Leave me alone." Truly, you weren't. It's just that...no human will ever be as kind to you again...not like him. You were so in love... And it's not like he would know about IT, since he started teaching after IT was over.

"Rei, please-"

"NO!! LEAVE ME ALONE!" you shout, jumping to the ground. You take off out of the school. You figure he probably will call your parents, and you really don't want to deal with them right now. So you run to a deserted alleyway and sit on the ground. A tear escapes your eye and rolls down your cheek. More follow it, and soon you're a sobbing mess.

Suddenly, you hear a soft mew come from behind a trash can. A small, grey (me: even, I spelled it like you! n.n) kitten limps over to you and purrs. It rubs its soft head against your leg.

"Oh, kitty," you sob, another tear falling from your grey eyes, "they'll never understand. They'll never know what it's like to see the person they love most die right before their eyes."

"Mreow?" the cat mewed.

"I want to give you a name!" you say randomly. "Are you a boy or a girl?" You look. "Boy. Okay, how about...Okayama?... Oh wait, didn't Hitoshi Okuda use that as the space animal from Ryuoh's name? You know, the one Sasami had in the Heaven Forbid Great fan comics? And then there was Sakuya's pet that Mr. Sekijima did...meh." You scratch the kitten behind the ears. "Okayama, Okayama..."

"Mrew."

You sigh. It's sort of pathetic that your only company is a stray kitten in an abandoned alley, but...

"Oh, Okayama, what is there left to live for?" you cry. "He's...he's..."

"Meow?"

You sigh again, wiping away a tear. "You don't understand what I'm saying...but you seem to know how to listen better than anyone else. Do you want to hear what happened?"

The kitten purrs a little.

"Okay, well, here goes."


	2. Chapter 1: So Messed Up

Chapter 1: So Messed Up

Memo: Here you are, first chapter! I apologize for not putting much about her background, but it gets revealed throughout the story. Okay? Also, this entire story is mostly a huge-mongous flashback...warning you of that now.

"Last summer," you start telling Okayama, "I had this strange dream...."

FLASHBACK START

Dream Start

You were sitting on a beach, watching dolphins out in the shallow water. Suddenly, a tall, very handsome, silver-haired stranger stood over you.

"Hey, Rei," he said, smiling.

"Hello, Riku..." you giggled.

"Isn't it so nice out?" Kairi said, running up with Sora.

"Let's go swimming!" Sora suggested.

"Yay!" you all shouted, kicking off your sandals and shoes. You slipped off your jeans and t-shirt and ran into the ocean. Everyone else followed.

As you floated out in the beautiful ocean, enjoying yourself, a sudden strange feeling washed over you. You shook your head a little.

"Rei? Are you okay?" Kairi asked, swimming over to you.

"I-I'm not sure," you replied. Your head began to pound in time with your heart, and your eyes closed by force.

"Rei?" Riku asked, taking your hand. You tried to look up at him, but it hurt too much. Suddenly you felt yourself sinking into the water.

"R-Riku..." you whispered. "Kairi, Sora..." You tried to keep yourself afloat, but it was impossible. It was almost as if something was dragging you down, like a weight.

"Rei!" Sora shouted, swimming over.

"REI!!" Riku screamed, trying to pull you up by your hands, but it was no use. You just kept sinking.

"Rei, hang on! Whatever you do, DON'T LET GO!" Kairi cried.

By the time Kairi finished her sentence, you were already completely underwater. Riku's hands were still grasping yours, but his grip was slipping.

"I can't hold on," you said, swallowing a ton of water.

"REI! DON'T LET GO, REI!" Riku shouted.

But you couldn't hold on anymore. The pressure was too great. His hands slipped out of yours.

"REIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" you heard everyone shout, but their screams were cut short when you suddenly blacked out.

Dream End

You bolted upright in bed, sweat beading your forehead. Wiping it away with the back of your hand, you glanced over at your ps2. Ever since the end of Kingdom Hearts, you've been haunted in dreams about Kairi, Sora, and especially Riku. This dream was particularly disturbing; you're scared to death of the water anyway.

You stretched out your legs and sighed. It was the start of summer break. (You go to year-round school, by the way. So your summer break isn't very long, just a week and a day.) You were looking forward to a whole weekend alone with your sister, Natasha. You called her Tashie. She was your best friend next to a girl named Amanda. You called her Manders. They were both freaking awesome, and they were all that you had. Your school was basically laid out like the following:

Jocks: 75%

Preps: 15%

Emos/Goths: 8%

Other: 2%

You were in the "Other" category. You, Manders, and some other guy who you never talked to. You lived in a small community, so not many people visited or moved there. It was kind of nice in a way. Manders and you were really close. She was a bit hyper, but you loved her anyway. She was the only one at school who accepted your weirdness. And you accepted hers.

But back to your dream.

You stepped onto your fuzzy peach rug and slipped into your even fuzzier lime green slippers. Tashie wouldn't be home for quite a while. So you didn't know what to do. You opened the door to your room and walked down the hallway, singing quietly to yourself. Your parents were gone, as usual. They often went places by themselves, leaving you and Tashie behind. You often believed that they originally didn't even want kids. Maybe they just thought they could get away with that type of crap. You, however, knew better. You weren't stupid at all.

"I wanna fly high so I can reach the highest of all the heavens," you sang, opening the cereal cabinet to find it empty. "No! I'm so hungry!" You looked in the refridgerator. Nothing looked good. There was one option left. You could eat something else...and you'd be okay for a while. You opened the medicine cabinet and found the pain killers. Your hand shaking, you reached in the container and took out two pills, which is actually the regular dose. But the funky thing about painkillers was...they made you pass out for at least a couple of hours. After swallowing the pills, you went into the living room and laid yourself down on the couch. Any minute now...

)()()()()(

You were about to open your eyes when you heard a strangely familiar voice.

"Her face is so pale," he said. "Do you think she'll be okay?"

"I think so," replied a girl's voice. You heard footsteps.

"Whoa! What's going on?" another guy's voice said. Your heart began to pound. You knew that voice. Taking a big risk, you opened your eyes.

"Where...am I?" you asked quietly, playing dumb. You knew exactly where you were.

"Destiny Islands," the three responded in unison.

"..." You sat up slowly. Your grey eyes met the sapphire ones of Sora, the bright blue ones of Kairi, and the aqua ones of Riku. You exhaled through your nose slowly. This had to be another one of those stupid dreams. Riku even looked older.

"What's your name?" he asks.

"My name...my name is Reina, but...you can just call me Rei," you replied.

"Rei...? Okay, my name..." Riku held out his hand to you. "..is Riku." You shrank back a little. The way he was holding out his hand...reminded you of him as a fifteen year old.

"I'm not afraid of the darkness!"

You heard his words ring over and over in your head.

"Rei? Rei?"

You jumped at the sound of your name.

"S-sorry," you said quietly.

"As I was saying, the kid with the brown hair is Sora. And she's Kairi."

You nodded and mustered a fake smile.

"Are you okay?" Kairi asked, kneeling down next to you.

"I don't know." You truly didn't know. Your head hurt, which was never a good sign. You tried to think back to what you were doing before you ended up here. ...Oh. You had taken pills to get you to sleep and to get rid of your hunger. But you were hungry again. "I'm a little hungry," you admitted.

"Ah, that is a problem easily remedied," Kairi said, giggling. "C'mon, we'll take you to my house to stay for a while."

"But where will she stay the rest of the time?" Sora asked. "You don't have any room, and neither do I." You gasped internally. Were they seriously serious? Did this mean you would be staying with-

"You're right," Kairi said, frowning. "Riku, do you?"

"Yeah, I have a guest room my parents never used. She could stay there," he replied nonchalantly. Your heart pounded a little harder. It was finally starting to sink in. You, a major Riku fangirl, would be staying on Destiny Islands in RIKU'S HOUSE. "Is that okay, Rei?" Of course it was okay!

"I suppose so," you murmured. Sora held out his hand, and you took it. He pulled you to your feet, only for you to fall down again. You were too weak to walk.

"Are you okay?" all three asked in unison. You laughed at their concern.

"I'm alright. I'm just too tired to walk, I guess," you replied.

"Well, as Kairi says, 'that is a problem easily remedied,'" Riku said, chuckling. And before you could say another word, he swooped you into his arms. You felt yourself blush. "See? Now then, to your house, Kairi?"

"Right!" Kairi exclaimed, smiling brightly.

As Riku carried you away, you took the chance to talk to him.

"How old are you?" you asked, squinting up at him.

"I'm eighteen," he replied, looking down at you. "Why? How old are you?"

"Seventeen, but I'll be eighteen in a month or so."

"Hm, so you're in your last year of school, right?"

"Yeah. You are, too?" You were a little surprised that he actually attended school after missing all that he did from his little misadventures. How did he even end up getting home, anyway?

"Yeah, well...sort of." He laughed a little. "It's hard to explain. We kind of...come and go as we please."

"That would rock!"

Riku laughed again at your enthusiasm. You couldn't help but feel a little proud of yourself. You made Riku smile... Now you could tell you were a true-blue Riku fan. You bawled hysterically at the end of Kingdom Hearts. You never wanted to play the game again ever since the tragedy. You knew every quote of his.

"Well, it kind of does..."

"Hey, Riku, c'mon!" Sora suddenly shouted, interrupting Riku's thoughts. He flinched a little.

"I think I can walk now," you said. "Put me down, please."

"Okay, fine by me. I didn't want to carry you all day."

"I did," you whispered to yourself.

"What was that?"

"Oh! Nothing!"

Riku set you down and you walked over to Kairi's house. Pushing open the front door, you gasped at the beauty and serenity of her house. Sunlight poured through the windows, illuminating the glass vases. Inside the vases were beautiful flowers you had never seen before.

"Your home is beautiful," you whispered, your eyes wide.

"This? Oh, you should see Riku's," Kairi said, giggling. "I guess you will soon. It's much more impressive."

"I can't wait," you said, nodding.

"Go ahead and sit down. What do you want to eat?" Kairi asked. You sat down on one of the sofas.

"Um, I don't know. What do you suggest?"

"Hah! I was hoping you would say that!"

"Huh?"

But Kairi was too busy bustling around the kitchen to answer. You sighed through your nose quietly. You soon realized that you were still wearing pajamas. You needed clothes. But how would you get back home? Earth couldn't have been destroyed, otherwise you would've woken up. But you didn't even know the worlds from Kingdom Hearts existed! How would you have known...?

"Here you are, Rei!" Kairi said happily, holding out a huge platter of food. You gasped in delight. There was so much food!

"Wow! Is this for me?" you asked.

"Yeah, but feel free to share with the guys, okay?"

"Sure thing!" You held out the platter to Riku and Sora. "Want some?"

"Heck yeah!" Sora shouted, digging in. Riku rolled his eyes and took a biscuit. You smiled and tried to decide what to eat first. There were so many delicious things...it was difficult to decide, but you eventually chose to try a star-shaped fruit.

"Hey, Rei, do you even know what that is?" Sora asked, laughing. You shook your head, preparing to take a bite. Kairi gasped.

"Oh, whoops! I put that on there?!" she exclaimed, snatching out of your hand. You blinked.

"Huh? What was it? What was wrong with it?" you asked, looking at Kairi and Sora.

"It's a paopu fruit," Riku said calmly.

"There's a legend behind it," Sora added.

"They say that if two people share a paopu fruit, it binds their destinies together for eternity," Kairi said, sighing romantically.

"Oh, I've heard of that!" you said, shaking your head and giggling. You remember that from the game; you had forgotten since it had been so long since you'd last played the game.

"Most people have."

You smiled a little and ate something else, listening to Kairi and Sora and Riku talk amongst themselves. Soon, you realized, you would be heading to Riku's house. Riku. You were a little nervous, but really, you weren't at all afraid.

FLASHBACK END

"Okayama," you say, smiling a little, "I was stupid then, y'know? I didn't know how anything worked on their island. It wasn't all like the game made it out to be." You stroke the kitten's head. "But maybe that was because this was post-Kingdom Hearts II. Who knows? All I know is that I won't ever see them again, unless a miracle happens."


	3. Chapter 2:Hydrophobic Stuck on an Island

Chapter 2: Hydrophobic Stuck on an Island...

Memo: By the way, none of this will be told by another person's pov unless noted. There will be the rare occasion where someone else--can't tell you who--will sort of be telling the story. Okay?

"I remember heading to Riku's house right after eating so he, Sora, and Kairi could show me around," you say, closing your eyes. "Kairi was right; his house was even more beautiful. It also made me kind of sad, because he had lived all alone for so long."

FLASHBACK START

"Wow," you murmured, looking around. "Riku, this is beautiful!" Riku beamed with pride. You exhaled slowly through your nose, observing your surroundings. His house was two stories. On the lower level, there was an enormous living room, kitchen, and dining room. Seriously, the living room was ginormous. He and the others led you upstairs to see the other rooms.

"Oh, wow, is this my room?" you asked, stepping into a large room. It had a balcony view, a huge bed, and a huge closet. The walls were painted a soft blue color.

"Yeah," Riku replied, exiting the room. "Here, this is my room. If you ever need me, and I'm not out with Kairi and Sora, I'm in here or out on the balcony."

"Okay, I'll remember that. Thanks, Riku."

Riku nodded, leaning against the hallway wall. A hand-drawn picture of the beach hung near his head. "So. What are we doing today?"

"I dunno," Sora said, shrugging. "What do you think, Kai?"

"We haven't gone swimming in a while. It hasn't been nice weather lately," Kairi replied.

"Um, there's one problem with that," you said, but no one heard you.

"Sounds good to me," Sora said.

"Yeah. What do you say, Rei?" Riku said, nodding at you.

"Um. I don't swim," you mumbled.

"Sure you do. Everyone does," Kairi said, smiling. She then frowned a little. "Oh, but you don't have clothes to...IDEA! Sora, Riku, Rei, I'll be back in an hour. I'm gonna go get Rei some decent clothes."

"Oh, that's really not necessary--"

"Sure it is! You can't stay here in your pajamas. Unless, of course, you have a way of getting home?"

"No," you sighed, lowering your head.

"Then it's settled. When I get back, we go swimming." Kairi walked out of the hallway, leaving you, Sora, and Riku standing there.

"Now what do we do while we wait?" Sora asked.

"Let's go out on the balcony," Riku suggested.

"Okay," you said, smiling. "I'd like to see the view."

"It's a nice one," Sora said.

You smiled again and led the way out to the balcony. Sliding open the door, you gasped in delight. Sora was right. The view was fantastic. Your blonde hair blew around your face and into your grey eyes. Grinning, you swept it out of your face and twisted it around, tossing it over your shoulder. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see Sora and Riku observing you.

"What?" you said timidly, turning to them.

"You look happy," Sora said, shrugging.

"Maybe because I am." You grinned and turned to the ocean again. Although it was beautiful, it made you nervous. Soon Kairi would be back, and she would want to go swimming with you. You shuddered a little.

"You okay?" Riku asked.

"Oh, um, yeah, I'm alright," you replied nervously. "Just thinking."

"About?" Sora asked, stretching his arms.

"I...it's nothing."

"If you say so." Sora turned to Riku. "I'll be outside. See you two soon, right?"

"Right, see you then," Riku said, nodding.

Sora exited the balcony. You sighed through your nose.

"This 'nothing' must be something," Riku murmured.

"I...I really don't want to swim is all," you mumbled.

"Why's that?"

"I'm...afraid to. I'm a hydrophobic."

"Which means you're afraid of water, right?"

You nodded.

"Then don't swim. Just sit out on the beach and sleep or something. You look exhausted."

Before you could reply, Riku left the balcony, leaving you alone.

)()()()()(

Kairi returned sooner than she had said, which meant that you all headed out to the beach sooner than you had thought. Not only did this mean that you might have had to deal with a confrontation or two sooner, but you also got to see Riku shirtless sooner.

"I'll sit out here," you said, sitting in the sand.

"Oh, c'mon, that's no fun!" Kairi exclaimed.

"Sure it is. I'll watch," you insisted.

"Whatever," Sora said, running into the water with Kairi. Riku gave you a quick glance and then followed them in. You smiled a little. So far so good.

A few minutes later, however, Kairi noticed that you still were sitting out on the beach by yourself.

"C'mon, Rei, the water's great today!" she exclaimed.

"I'm sure," you said.

"Rei, come on and have some fun!" Sora said, wrestling with Riku.

"Watching is fun enough."

"Rei! Quit being a party pooper!" Kairi shouted, swimming, then running, up to you.

"Sorry," you said, shrugging.

"Get in!" Kairi grabbed your arm and hoisted you to your feet. She was surprisingly strong.

"Um, no, thanks."

"Come on!" She started to drag you toward the water. Your heart started to pound.

"Kairi, leave her alone," Riku said.

"No, she needs to have some fun!" Kairi insisted. You breathed hard as your feet neared the water's edge.

"No," you said quietly. Kairi continued to drag you closer and closer. "Let go!"

"No!"

"I said LET GO!"

Kairi gasped and released your arm quickly, falling back into the water.

"Rei?!" Sora said, looking alarmed.

Riku said nothing; his eyes did the talking instead.

Your heart pounding with fear and embarrassment, you sprinted away towards the house.

"Rei!" Kairi and Sora shouted in unison.

You tried to respond, but instead tears spilled down your cheeks. Running into Riku's house, you slammed the door shut and locked the door. Then, running up to your bedroom, you shut that door and locked it as well. In addition, you shoved a small wardrobe in front of it.

You stumbled over to your bed, sobbing. You were so frightened of the water, and now you were just embarrassed beyond belief.

You soon heard footsteps and hushed voices. You pulled the sheets over your head, burying your face into your pillow.

"It's locked, too," Sora said from the other side of the door.

"Riku, can you unlock it, too?" Kairi asked.

"Yeah, give me a sec," he replied. You heard the door handle click open, and his struggle to open the door. "It won't open."

"Let me try," Sora said. You heard him grunt in an effort to push open the door. "It's not moving..."

"I hope she's okay," Kairi said. "I feel bad."

"Well, it's not like any of us knew,"Sora said. You heard their footsteps walk away and out the front door. Quietly, you crept out of bed and pushed aside the wardrobe.

Suddenly the door swung open. You screamed a little, since you had assumed all three of them had left.

"Rei..." Riku said quietly. You shook your head.

"No," you whimpered. You tried to shove him away, but he was too strong (either that, or you were too weak) to push. "Go away, please."

"Rei, c'mon..." Riku grabbed you by the wrists and pulled you to him so that you had to look him in the eye. "Talk to me."

"No!" you shrieked, pulling away quickly. You ran back into your room and shut the door as quickly as possible. Holding on to the handle for dear life, you once again locked the door and held the door shut.

"Rei, please. I only want to help you!" Riku shouted from the other side of the door. He jiggled the handle a little.

"No, you can't help me, Riku!" you sobbed, falling onto your knees.

"How do you know that?"

"You just CAN'T, okay?! Just go away and leave me alone!"

"...Rei...fine then. You know where to find me."

)()()()()(

After many minutes of sobbing, you finally released the door handle and slumped to the floor. Angry, you stood up and stormed out to the balcony. You felt like singing, so you did.

"You don't know my name," you sang, turning towards the ocean, "you don't know anything about me. I try to play nice; I want to be in your game. The things that you say, you may think I never hear about them, but word travels fast. I'm telling you to your face: I'm standing here behind your back. You don't know how it feels to be outside the crowd. You don't know what it's like to be left out, and you don't know how it feels to be your own best friend on the outside looking in. If you could read my mind, you might see more of me that meets the eye. And you've been all wrong, not who you think I am; you've never given me a chance. You don't know how it feels to be outside the crowd. You don't know what it's like to be left out, and you don't know how it feels to be your own best friend on the outside looking in. Well, I'm tired of staying at home; I'm bored and alone. I'm sick of wasting all my time. You don't know how it feels to be outside the crowd. You don't know what it's like to be left out, and you don't know how it feels to be your own best friend on the outside looking in. You don't know how it feels to be outside the crowd. You don't know what it's like to be left out, and you don't know how it feels to be your own best friend on the outside looking in."

You stood out on the balcony, letting the sea breeze blow your hair around. Finally, you got tired, so you headed inside and lied down on your bed. Slowly the wind and the silence of the night put you to sleep.

FLASHBACK END

"I remembered singing that, thinking I was alone," you say, stroking Okayama's head. "But I soon found out I wasn't. And I was never really alone to begin with." You lower your head. "But I am now. If it weren't for you, I'd have nothing at all. And I've only known you for a few minutes."


	4. Chapter 3: Can I Help You?

Chapter 3: Can I Help You?

Memo: Oh, I always hate it when salesclerks ask you if you need help and you do but you're afraid you'll get tricked into buying something so you just say, "No I'm just looking, thanks." That sucks so bad. I always feel bad. Lol, anywho...

"I woke up the next morning really early, so I went out to the beach," you say, pushing your hair away from your face. "I just wanted to get out of the house for a while."

FLASHBACK START

You stood out on the beach, your arms folded across your chest. Watching the seemingly harmless waves, you sighed and lowered your eyes. So what exactly were you going to do? It's not like you could pretend nothing happened.

"Rei?"

You recognized that voice. Turning around slowly, you saw Riku approaching you slowly.

"..." You turned back around quickly.

"Rei...what would you say if I said I could help you?" he asked. You snorted.

"I would say that you're completely insane to think you could help me, and that you shouldn't waste your time trying." you replied, smirking.

Riku placed a hand on your shoulder.

"I think I can help you, Rei," he said. You gasped quietly. "Well? Where's your response?"

"It died."

Riku let out a small laugh. "Well, then...?"

"Are you for real?" you asked, turning to face him. He removed his hand.

"Do I look unconvincing to you?"

"In this light, I'd never know it."

He laughed again. "Then, yeah, I'm for real. I don't want you to be miserable." He looked out toward the ocean. You looked too, but you didn't see anything. "It...it does things to people, Rei. Take it from me."

"...Well, if you're sure you can do this..."

"Of course," he said quickly.

"Then I'll take you up on your offer," you said, holding out your hand. He shook it.

"You won't be let down."

"..." You slowly nodded and started to walk away.

"Wait," Riku said. You stopped and turned around.

"What is it?"

"We'll start tomorrow, before lunch. Is that okay?"

"Umm, sure," you replied, nodding.

"Alright. Bye, Rei."

"Thank you, Riku."

"Hey, no problem." He smiled at you, and you weakly smiled back and walked away. Sighing a little, you shook your head slowly. What had you gotten yourself into?!

Back at the house, you laid yourself down in bed and flopped over onto your stomach. You were so tired now. It had taken you forever to fall asleep the previous night. Now you felt like sleeping through the whole day. Your eyes started to shut, and you fell into sort of a stand-by mode.

"Rei!!!" you heard Kairi shout. You lifted your head off of your pillow and looked around. It was definitely later in the day. "Rei? You up?"

"Yeah, I'm awake. What's up?" you asked, sitting up.

"C'mon, come hang out with us. You've been asleep all day. You even missed lunch."

You laughed. "For real?"

"Yeah!"

"Alright, alright, be right out!"

You heard Kairi's footsteps fade out. Stumbling out of bed, you stretched your arms out and headed toward the door. You jogged down the steps and saw Kairi, Sora, and Riku standing in the living room. They looked at you with anticipated looks.

"Umm, what's going on?" you asked, confused.

"We're taking you on a tour of the island. Sound cool?" Riku replied. You smiled brightly.

"That sounds awesome! C'mon, let's go already!"

You grabbed Kairi and Riku's arms and pulled them towards the door. They both laughed and pulled you back.

"We lead," Sora said, walking past you, smirking. Riku pulled him back as well.

"Ilead," he said, the familiar smirk appearing on his face. You smiled to yourself. You recognized it. In the very first cutscene on the islands, that smirk had made its very first appearance. Riku actually had lots of different smirks. But anyway. "C'mon, Rei, Kairi, Sora."

"I'm excited!" you cried, giggling. Kairi laughed with you. Sora smiled a little, but Riku simply raised an eyebrow. "Oh come on. You are so..."

"So what?"

"So..." Hot. Amazing. Sweet. Gorgeous. Ripped...

"Boring!" Kairi shouted, giggling. You nodded.

"Yeah! Have some fun!"

"Whatever."

This was the only thing you didn't _really_ love about Riku. He wasn't easily willed into playfulness, if that makes sense.

You stuck out your tongue at him and crossed your eyes when he turned his back. Kairi and Sora laughed, and Riku whipped his head around.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"I thought you were doing that tomorrow," you joked.

"Doing what?" Sora asked.

"Yeah, what's going on?" Kairi added.

"Um, oh, it's nothing," you said. You immediately regretted saying anything at all.

"No it's not, because otherwise you wouldn't hide it," Sora said.

"Really, I don't want to talk about it."

"Rei, c'mon, are you really that embarrassed?" Riku asked. You nodded slightly.

"WHAT?!" Kairi screeched. "What did you two _do_?!?"

"NOTHING!" you and Riku shout in unison.

"Ohhh, hehe. I thought you did something..."

"We all know what your perverted mind is thinking," Sora mumbled, rolling his eyes.

"HEY! I didn't have a perverted mind until I hung out with you 24-7!"

You sigh in relief. You luckily managed to get off the subject...for now.

"ANYWAY!" Riku shouts. "On with the tour. To the treehouse!"

Riku walks away towards the treehouse, and you follow him. Kairi and Sora lag somewhat behind, arguing and out of earshot.

"Riku, I'd prefer it if you didn't say anything to Sora and Kairi, please," you whispered.

"Why? They won't care. It's not like they'll tease you or anything," he replied, frowning.

"I know, but it'll make me more nervous."

"Too bad. I'm going to tell them. It's better than if they find out on their own, because then they'll give you a hard time about it."

"Riku, nooo-"

"Yes, Rei. Trust me."

"I do, but-"

"Then let me help you."

"But you-"

"Come on, and stop arguing. There's nothing you can do, so there."

"But-"

Riku stuck out his tongue, mocking you.

"Will you STOP interrupting me?" you said, stomping your foot. "I'm being serious here!"

"So am I, and I'm the one helping you." You pouted a little. "Chin up, Rei. You'll be fine. I won't let anything happen to you, okay?" He stopped at the entrance of the treehouse. "Tell me you trust me."

"I do."

"More convincing than that," he insisted, crossing his arms.

You sighed. "Riku, I really do trust you. But please, I'm begging you, don't tell Kairi and Sora. And if you do, at least tell them not to watch."

"Why, Rei? What are you so embarrassed about?"

"I dunno, I just am!"

"Then suck it up and stop it! You're not going to get anywhere with that type of attitude, alright? Trust me and my judgement."

"Oh, cut the crap, will you? You don't understand me! You don't know me! You barely know who I really am, Riku!" You could feel tears choking your voice. "...You know what? Forget it. Forget helping me. Forget everything. I just want..." You couldn't finish your sentence, so you stormed off, back towards the house.

"Rei, wait!"

"No, Riku!"

"Rei, you can't be serious!"

"I am. I am! You don't know anything about me, Riku!"

"Then give me the chance to know you and quit being a...a coward about it all!"

You stopped dead in your tracks.

"A...coward. Is that what you really think of me? Well, I'm sorry I'm not big and brave and strong like you, Riku," you said.

"Rei, wait. I didn't mean to say-"

You didn't care what he did or didn't mean to say. Why should you have cared? He freaking insulted you! You started to run back to the house, and you ran straight past Kairi and Sora.

"Hey, Rei, where are you going?" Kairi asked. You shook your head, unable to answer.

"Rei, wait!" you heard Riku shout.

"Oh, way to go, Riku," Sora said.

"We can't leave you two together alone for very long, can we?" Kairi said angrily.

FLASHBACK END

"I was so incredibly mad. I trusted him!" you say, smirking a little. "I really did. But he was right. I was mad because he had figured me out. He knew me already. And, really, I was afraid of what that would bring."

"Mrew?"

"I shouldn't have been...no.... So, once again, I went to bed mad. They say you shouldn't do that. I guess it causes stress to become greater. Whatever."


	5. Chapter 4: I Want to be Closer to You

Chapter 4: I Want to be Closer to You

Memo: Yay, IIMFVG?! reference!!! hehe. Anyway, more of the story. Rei is pretty indecisive...if you couldn't tell already.

"So, Oka-chan, would you like to know what happened?"

"Mrew."

"Okay," you say, smiling.

FLASHBACK START

You woke up early the next morning, feeling depressed and guilty. Riku was only trying to help you... You shouldn't have gotten so mad. Why couldn't you be truthful with him?

You jumped out of bed and pulled on a jacket over your pajama top. Flinging open your door, you ran to Riku's door and knocked on it repeatedly.

"What? What is it? I'm coming," came his groggy voice. He opened the door and looked at you. You looked at him for a moment, then threw your arms around him, crying hard.

"I-I-I'm sorry!" you sobbed, burying your face into his collarbone.

"Rei..."

"Please, forgive me. I'm sorry for what I said. I trust you." You looked him in the eye. "I don't care if you tell Kairi and Sora anymore. Just...please, help me."

Riku stood there for a moment, then smiled softly. "Okay, I will. C'mon, go back to sleep, okay?"

"I-I don't think I can," you said honestly. Riku chuckled quietly.

"Then come outside with me," he said. You nodded and walked out to the balcony. Riku soon followed, carrying two pillows and a couple of blankets.

"You said I didn't know you," he explained, sitting down. "Maybe we should change that."

You smiled at his honesty and sat down next to him. He handed you a pillow and a blanket, and you thanked him quietly. Leaning back on the pillow, you sighed and pulled the blanket to your chin.

"What do you want to know about me?" you asked.

"Well, what do you want me to want to know about you?" he replied, laughing. You giggled.

"Let's see...I have an older sister. Her name is Natasha. I just call her Tashie, though. She and I are pretty tight." You laughed a little. "She used to make fun of me a lot, though. And I have a friend named Amanda, but I call her Manders. She was...my only friend until I came here and met you three."

"I see you're really big on nicknames," Riku said. You couldn't help but grin.

"I'm still trying to figure one out for you."

It was Riku's turn to grin. But then, slowly, his smile faded away.

"You said Manders was your only friend?" he asked. You nodded, frowning. "Why?"

"Why? Gosh, I dunno. People thought I was weird."

"I don't think you're weird," Riku mumbled.

"You mean that?"

"You're not any weirder than anyone I've met before."

You felt yourself blush.

"...I guess...maybe there is something I wanna know about you, Rei," Riku said suddenly. You looked up at him.

"Yes?"

"Why...you hide yourself. Why? You've got talent. I heard you singing."

You blushed again. "I dunno. I've never really been into showing myself off. I'm not a prize; I'm a human." You sighed a little. "As for singing, I just do sometimes. Nobody besides my sister and Manders and you have even heard me sing."

"So I'm lucky, then, right?"

"I guess so. You're one of the chosen ones. Congratulations."

You yawned a little.

"Are you ready to take on the challenge today?" Riku asked. You nodded.

"I think so."

"That's good."

"Yeah..."

"Rei?"

"Yeah?"

"Just know that...I'll be there, and Kairi and Sora will be there. And if you need a hand, I'm here."

You nodded, tears springing to your eyes.

"Tell me, Riku..."

"Huh?"

"Tell me more about Destiny Islands and everything you've been through." You closed your eyes, smiling as you let your head lean against the wall.

As Riku started to talk about everything that happened, you let yourself relax. You were so tired now. And, accidentally, you fell asleep listening to his voice and the waves.

)()()()()(

Soon you felt yourself being shaken awake.

"Don't kill her, Sora," Kairi said. You opened your eyes to see Sora shaking you. You looked around and saw that you were still out on the balcony.

"Wake up, you two," Sora said, slapping Riku on the cheek. He jolted awake, rubbing his tired eyes.

"Do you mind?" he asked you.

"Huh? Oh!" You immediately sat upright, rubbing your cheek. You could feel the imprint of his pants on your face. Rubbing your eyes, you yawned a little. "What time is it?"

"Time for you to wake the heck up," Sora said, grinning.

"It's almost noon," Kairi replied, kicking Sora's butt lightly. He kicked her back in the ankle.

"Noon, huh?" Riku said, yawning. "Rei, you know what that means?"

It took you a moment to remember why you had ended up here. "Oh...yeah."

"What is it that you guys are talking about?" Sora asked, crossing his arms.

"You'll see. Just wait for us."

Sora looked and Kairi, then at you and Riku. Shrugging, they walked off the balcony. Riku stood up, then laughed.

"You might wanna work on that," he said, pointing to your face.

"I know, I know," you said, standing as well. Continuing to rub your cheek, you followed him back inside.

FLASHBACK END

"That was...really nice," you say, closing your eyes. "I used to be able to picture the islands vividly. But now, when I close my eyes, I can't see them anymore. It's like they disappeared from my mind. Maybe one day...I'll see them again."

You laugh at the absurdity of your comment.

"Yeah, right. Like that will ever happen. That was once in a lifetime. And now...it's over."


	6. Chapter 5: Grab Ahold

Chapter 5: Grab Ahold

Memo: I label the picture of Riku holding out his hand to Sora this every time I see it. I used to have it saved on my computer. The filename is "Grab ahold" lol. I think it's very appropriate. OH! MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!! :D

You inhale slowly as you stroke Oka-chan on behind the ears.

"This I can still remember. I can still remember this feeling," you whisper, closing your eyes briefly.

FLASHBACK START

You walked with Riku, Kairi, and Sora out to the beach, dressed in short shorts and a tank top, one of the many combinations of clothing articles Kairi bought you. You were so afraid of this, but there was no turning back now. It was now or never. And you just couldn't settle for never.

"Kairi, Sora, go sit over on the beach or something," Riku said sternly. Sora cocked his head, but Kairi got the message and dragged Sora up towards the house. Together they sat with their backs leaning against the wall of Kairi's house. They each had their own house, but Sora and Kairi were never alone.

*It must be nice, to have that kind of love for someone,* you thought, rubbing your arm modestly.

"Rei?"

You snapped back to reality and looked at Riku.

"You okay?"

You nodded.

"You ready?"

"I...guess so."

"Okay."

Riku walked to the water's edge. You stood there dumbly, not knowing what to do. He turned to you, his toned skin glowing in the sun. Slowly he held out his hand.

"Rei?" he said, looking you straight in the eye. You could feel your heart drilling out of your chest and flopping on the sand. Nevertheless, you walked forward and took his hand, shaking. "You're okay."

Nodding a little, you tried to relax. It didn't really work...

"If you're scared, just squeeze. You won't hurt me."

So you squeezed his hand really hard, just to get some of the nervousness out of you.

"Just take a step in," he said, taking a step in, just as he had said. Was it really that simple? you thought.

Taking a step in, you felt a chill run up you from your feet to your nose. Goosebumps appeared on your arms and legs, which had been shaven recently, by the way (the legs, ha). {You had found a clean razor, so you took the chance and swiped it. (^_^)}

"C'mon, just push it," Riku said, taking another step. "One step at a time."

Shaking, you took another step. It felt like you were walking on needles.

"Don't quit," he said, taking another step.

"Don't let go," you whispered, following him.

Finally you got to the point where you were up to your knees. You were shaking so hard that you couldn't see or even keep your eyes open.

"Rei? You'll be okay," he said, taking your other hand. Trembling, you shook your head a little. You were so afraid...but why? It seemed a little stupid.

You wanted to say something, but before you could, you felt yourself pass out.

)()()()()(

What felt like moments later, you opened your eyes to find yourself in your bedroom...heck, you could call it that now. This was home. Earth was just a memory, a past life. Sure you'd miss Manders and Tashie. But maybe you'd find a way to bring them here with you. That would be amazing!!

Sitting upright, you put a hand to your head. You had a massive headache, probably from shaking so much.

"You okay there, Rei?"

You jumped a little. You weren't expecting Riku to be in here. But when you turned your head, you saw Kairi and Sora, too.

"What...happened?" you ask, removing your hand from your head.

"You passed out and fell," Kairi said.

"Right into Riku, luckily," Sora added.

You felt yourself blush as you lowered your head.

"I...couldn't do it," you said, feeling a bit ashamed.

"But it was only your first try," Riku assured you. "You'll get better. Just wait and see. We'll do it again tomorrow, and as long as we have to."

"We don't want you to be afraid of water. You're on an island," Sora pointed out. Kairi nodded in agreement.

"Are you hungry?" she asked, standing.

"...A little," you said, nodding once.

"Okay. We'll go fix lunch. C'mon you guys."

Sora followed Kairi out of the room immediately, but Riku lingered behind a little.

"You sure you're okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," you said, smiling weakly.

"You're strong, Rei," he said suddenly, standing. "But...if you need a hand..."

You nodded, your smile becoming sincere.

"Thank you, Riku," you said as he left the room. As soon as he was out of earshot, you let out a little squeal. You got to talk to Riku alone again! Lalalalalala! *That needs to happen more often,* you decided, getting out of bed.

Humming to yourself, you stretched out your arms and legs, feeling a little better. Maybe this whole fear thing wouldn't be so bad. After all, you were getting to spend time with Riku without making it seem like you were obsessed. Yes, you were (and still are) obsessed. You were just amazing at hiding it.

You headed out to the kitchen to find it strangely empty. It was weird; you could still smell food.

"Hello?" you called out, taking another step forward. No one answered. "HEY!" you shouted, a little more frantically. Did they just disappear into thin air?!

"Rei!"

You turned around to see Kairi throwing the door open.

"Sorry! Forgot to tell you. We're having a picnic today," she said, catching her breath. "Here, follow me."

You nodded, following her outside. The two of you walked casually out toward the small island's connective bridge. You could see Sora and Riku over there already. Riku was lying in the sand, arms covering his eyes. Sora was practically drooling over the food.

"I cooked, no worries," Kairi reassured you as you reached your friends.

"Whatever it is, it smells good," you said, sitting in the sand.

"It had better be," Sora said, sighing anxiously.

"Why wouldn't it be?"

You giggled as Kairi gave Sora the "be-careful-how-you-answer-me" look.

"You're supposed to give her a compliment, man," Riku suddenly said, smirking. You looked over at him. He hadn't moved from his relaxed position.

"You know I love you," Sora said, pulling her down into his lap.

"I know you know you love me," Kairi said, grinning.

"But do you know that I know that you know that...uhhh...I love you?"

Both of them laughed giddily.

*No fair,* you thought, frowning a little.

"Get a room," Riku said, finally sitting upright to see the two of them cuddling.

"You're just jealous," Sora said, sticking out his tongue.

"More like disgusted. Now come on. Rei, are you with me?"

You jumped at the sound of your name. You hadn't even been thinking about them.

"Umm..." you murmured, standing. Avoiding the question, you walked over to get food from the table they had set up.

"Rei?"

"I dunno," you said quietly, tugging on your hair. Luckily your back was to them, so they couldn't have seen you blush. Truly, you were jealous. Not in a mean, snobbish way, but in an honest, pathetic way.

"Just leave her alone, Riku," Kairi said at last. You felt yourself relax a little.

"Maybe if-"

You felt someon grab you by the shoulders.

"...If I pushed you into the water-"

He made a pushing motion, and you shrieked. For a second you really thought he would...!

"That's not funny!" you exclaimed, crying. You turned around, squirming away from his grasp.

"Riku! You're so mean!" Kairi added, standing up.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean..." Riku noticed you were actually, truly crying. "Rei, c'mon, I wouldn't ever-"

"Wouldn't ever what?!" you shouted, running off.

"Rei!"

You were crying too hard to answer. Truth was, you weren't really all that mad. You were more embarrassed than anything. You felt like such a loser sometimes! And this just happened to be one of those times.

Storming into the house, you ran up the stairs and to your bedroom. You slammed the door shut so hard it simply bounced back open. Ignoring it, you went and sat on your bed, hugging your knees.

"What I was going to say was..."

You lifted your head up to see Riku standing in the doorway. Staring him down, you watched as he slowly walked into your room and sat on the far edge of your bed.

"...I wouldn't ever hurt you."

"..." You lowered your eyes, feeling stupider than ever. Right about then, you wanted to smack yourself senseless.

"Rei?"

"I'm not mad," you said at last. "I just..." You tried not to lose it, but you did anyway. "I'm such a loser!" you wailed.

"No you're not, Rei. Quit saying that about yourself!"

You blinked at his tone. He sounded dead serious. Holy crap.

"I'm serious, Rei. You are not a loser. You're you. Nobody here thinks you are but you. So what about people from where you came from? You're not there anymore, are you? Why should it matter?"

Riku put a hand on your knee. You resisted the urge to scream.

"Kairi, Sora, and I...we're your friends, Rei. We're always here when you need us. You can tell us...or...at least me...anything you want."

"..." You lowered your eyes, unsure of what to say.

"...Get some rest. Tomorrow's another day," he said, removing his hand. Almost silently, he left your room and closed the door. Blushing, you placed your cheek where Riku had put his hand.

*I'm not giving up,* you told yourself. *I'm gonna show him what I think.*

FLASHBACK END

"Y'know, talking about all of this...it's kind of weird," you say, tugging on one of your navy knee-high socks. "It's almost sad how well I can remember things sometimes. The one thing I don't really remember is my determination."

Okayama purrs and rubs against your hand.

"I lost that a long time ago."

You look up at the sky. It looks grey.

"Maybe it's gonna rain," you murmur, squinting. "...Wonder if they'll find me by then."


	7. Chapter 6: Waistline

Chapter 6: Waistline

Memo: Where is your real waistline? One of the most argued questions in my generation. *sigh* Pathetic. So many wanna-be gangstas. Miguel, you are NOT a G!! ^^ Bahaha.

"Oka-chan, you're very lucky," you say, grinning. "No one cares where the heck your waistline is."

FLASHBACK START

The next morning came quickly. You were up before the sun rose. Thinking you'd be the only one, you got up and headed out to the balcony. But, to your surprise, Riku was already there.

"Riku?" you said, squinting a little.

"That would be my name," he replied, smirking.

Grinning, you went and stood beside him. Both of you leaned against the railing on your forearms. "What are you doing up?"

"What about you?"

"I asked you first."

"I asked you second."

He smiled in a confident way. You pouted a little.

"Fine. I just couldn't sleep. I didn't know you'd be up, and I didn't want to disturb you," you finally said.

"How do you know you aren't disturbing me right now?"

You gasped a little. He chuckled.

"You aren't," he said, grinning.

"Good. Now what about you?"

"I...don't know. I just kind of...couldn't sleep."

"Oh...wait. So you haven't slept at all?"

"That would be a positive."

"Holy crap. Riku, that's bad for you."

He shrugged. "A lot of things are, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"A lot of things can hurt you in the world. You know you can face life if you can handle the little things. Because...a lot of times... the little things are what hurt people the most."

...

Holy crap. You had nooooo idea he could get so...philosophical.

"...You think too much," you said, laughing a little. Soon he was laughing with you.

"Well, we've got nothing to do," he said suddenly. "Do you want to go down to the beach and try it again?"

Without hesitation, you nodded. You couldn't help but look forward to this now. It was either fear+Riku or no fear+no Riku. What would _you_ choose?

He nodded back. "Go change. I'll meet you out there."

Walking away, (with your back to him, of course) you grinned brightly. *Dress to impress, Reina,* you commanded your mind. *Ooze confidence.*

)()()()()(

About ten minutes of preparation time later, you were waiting out on the beach, dressed in a bikini. Hah. *Eat your heart out.*

"Rei, that's you, right?"

Slowly you looked over your shoulder. You shyly smiled at Riku. He almost stopped completely in his tracks. Of course, after looking at him, you would've stopped walking. His abs were like, BAM! How bad would it hurt to punch him in the stomach? It'd probably hurt you more than him. Trying SO hard not to stare, you nodded once, then faced the sunrise again.

"You ready?" he asked, walking in front of you. The pale dawn light made him look like a heavenly being. You wondered if it was having the same affect on you. When he turned around, holding out his hand again, you knew it was. He was staring you down. Not breaking your gaze, you took his hand and could feel the warmth of it rush through your body. It was like touching a car door and getting shocked badly; it had that same tingly feeling.

"Mmhmm," you replied, smiling a little. Once again, he led you into the water, one step at a time. Each step you took seemed lighter than before. Maybe...it wasn't going to be so bad.

You knew you were wrong when you took a step that took the water level past your knees. You felt the screaming pain and fear throbbing in your head again. It made you cringe.

"Hey, Rei? You okay?" he asked. You nodded, then giggled.

"That all rhymed," you laughed. Riku started laughing, too.

"Your name rhymes with a lot of stuff," he pointed out. You both kept walking slowly.

"Like weigh."

"And day."

"May."

"Pray."

"Play."

"Gay."

"Say."

"What?" he immediately said.

You both busted up laughing again. Then, all of a sudden, you realized how far out you were. The safety of the beach suddenly felt so far away. The familiar pounding and pain returned, more intense than ever. You put your other hand to your head, trying to keep your conciousness.

"Rei? You-"

)()()()()(

"Nnnn...."

You opened your eyes, then immediately closed them again. It was so bright!

"Rei? Are you alright?" Kairi asked.

You nodded a little.

"What...?" You opened your eyes again, blinking and squinting to adjust to the light.

"Riku said you passed out again," Sora said, standing over you.

"Where..."

Before you could ask about your secret love, Riku walked into your room, holding a washcloth.

"Hey, you're okay, Rei ," he said, then stopped. You both started laughing again.

"Say what?" Sora said quietly. The two of you laughed harder. Holy crap! Inside joke! (^_^)

"Geez, what is so funny?" Kairi asked, taking the cloth out of Riku's shaking hand. You simply shook your heads, laughing too hard to answer. Kairi shook her head in false disgust, placing the cool cloth on your forehead.

"Your name doesn't rhyme with _any_thing," you said, wiping unshed tears from your eyes.

"Your name rhymes with too _many_ things," Riku said, sitting down in a chair.

"Anyway, how'd you do?" Sora asked, cocking his head.

"I would say it was about my waistline...?"

"No, it was higher than that," Riku said, shaking his head.

"No, it wasn't. Maybe lower, but not higher."

"Rei, I swear."

"Riku, I swear back." You kicked the covers off of you, standing. "Look, this is my waistline." You point to the skinniest part around your middle.

"Well, whatever, you wear your pants right there, so I'm being optimistic for once and saying it was above," Riku said, standing also and pointing to your hips. You felt your stomach twist.

"If we went by that for our waistlines, yours would be here."

You smacked his butt right where the belt of his jeans were. Kairi and Sora laughed and high-fived you.

"Yay, Rei!" Kairi shouted, laughing. Sora was doubled over with laughter. You grinned at Riku triumphantly. He smirked back.

"Yay, Rei," he repeated, grinning. You both started laughing again. HAHA INSIDE JOKES ROCK!!

"Okay, so now that that's been said and explained, Rei, you're coming over to my house today!" Kairi exclaimed. "Girls day! You're gonna meet my bud Selphie."

"Awesome-ness!" you said, high-fiving her again. Really, though, you didn't want to leave. You wanted to hang out with Riku. You were starting to really get closer.

"A word of advice: don't give Selphie a reason to hate you," Riku mumbled.

"That's eight words, but I see your point," you said, smiling brightly.

"Don't be gay, Rei."

)()()()()(

Kairi's house seemed less amazing after staying at Riku's for so long. It was still stunning, though.

"Let me call Selphie, okay?" Kairi said. You nodded eagerly, smiling. Selphie would be a nice person (you hoped).

As Kairi proceeded in calling Selphie, you began to look around the house, looking at all the pictures. Most of them were of her and Sora and were kind of romantic. A few were of the three of them together. Even Tidus and Wakka and Selphie showed up. One was of all six of them. They all looked really happy...except Riku. It made you a little sad. Was he really that unhappy?

"He looks like a party-pooper in that picture, huh?"

You jumped as Kairi rounded the corner.

"How'd you know...?"

"Everyone looks at that picture," she explained.

"He looks so sad..."

"He kind of is."

You looked at Kairi, raising an eyebrow.

"Why?"

Kairi sighed, then grabbed your arm and led you into the front room again.

"Sit," she commanded. You immediately did so.

"Kairi?"

"Riku...has been through a lot. He has always been a little quiet, y'know? But for a while, after he came home from being...away...he had a hard time adjusting. He didn't really want to face anyone. He's been like that ever since."

You lowered your eyes, wishing you had played the second Kingdom Hearts game. What had happened to him?

"And then you came."

You immediately looked up at Kairi.

"He acts differently around you, Rei. Like he's found the way he was supposed to be again."

"What are you trying to say?" you asked, your heart pounding.

"I'd be willing to bet munny he's falling in love with you."

Before you could say anything at all, the doorbell rang. Kairi's face brightened at once.

"Coming!"

FLASHBACK END

"When she said that, I couldn't stop thinking about it," you whisper, feeling the same feeling as when Kairi had first said it to you. "In love...with me...and me...in love with him. It seemed so unreal."

You look back up at the clearing sky, frowning.

"But it wasn't...she was right. And I didn't notice it until later the next day. And...even worse...I didn't even react until two whole days later..." You cringe a little. "If I had known..."


	8. Chapter 7: Breathe

Chapter 7: Breathe

Memo: You'll find out what "it" is later, okay? Promise. In case you don't know what a hip-check is, it's when you bump somebody's hip with the side of yours. It's really fun to catch people offguard *evil grin* anyway, most of the time, it's between either bf/gf or close friends. My friends do it to me all the time and I have bruises sometimes ...anyway!!!

"And then she had to go and make it worse and tell Selphie..."

FLASHBACK START

"AWWWWWWWWWWWW!!" Selphie squealed, grinning. You raised an eyebrow. Peppy, much? "That's cute!"

"Cute?" you muttered.

"Look, Rei, you've gotta understand where we're coming from," Kairi said.

"Yeah! See, here's the scoop: Riku is lonely. And single. You're single. Are you lonely? Be honest."

Sighing through your nose, you nodded.

"See? It would work. I could set it up, you know. You and him. Him and you. Both of you...together."

"Please, don't..." you said, shaking your head in embarrassment. You had had enough of the matchmaking crap. If anyone was gonna be responsible for the two of you together, it was either gonna be him or you. Not a friend or someone you just met.

"Rei...what's your full name?" Kairi asked, cocking her head in a way that reminded you of Sora.

"Reina Marie Nichols."

"REINA MARIE NICHOLS! You know you like him."

You stood up and began to walk toward the door.

"Rei?" Selphie said quietly.

"See you tomorrow, Kairi," you said, walking outside.

)()()()()(

The next morning was just like the one before. You woke up so early. And so did Riku.

"How was Kairi's?" he asked.

"Ehhh..." you said, shrugging.

"And Selphie?"

You sighed. You couldn't tell him "Oh yeah, we talked about how lonely you are and how you need a girl and they think and I think that she should be me."

"Doesn't sound like you had fun."

"I'm too old and tired for gossip," you joked, smiling a little.

"You're pretty...down-to-earth compared to them."

"And boring."

"You're not that boring," Riku said, stretching a little. "You're quick-witted." He pointed to his pants and you noticed how low he was still wearing them.

"Not your waistline," you declared, laughing. He smirked, then yawned.

"Wanna try again?" he asked.

"Say what?"

Riku started laughing, and then you did, too.

"Didn't mean that!"

"I know. I meant, try out there again."

You looked out at the ocean. Normally you'd have been freaking out, but you were surprisingly calm for once.

"Okay then. Let's go."

"You seem calm."

"You sound surprised, like it wouldn't even work."

Riku crossed his arms cockily. "I knew it would work all along. Don't say that."

"Suuuuure you did."

Riku shoved you a little with his elbow; you hip-checked him back. He laughed a little.

"You're actually tall enough to do that, aren't you?" he said, hip-checking you back.

"Sure am," you replied, hip-checking him harder. He smirked.

"Don't even think about getting competitive with me."

"Oh?"

Riku's smirk became more pronounced as he whacked you.

"Owwww!" you squealed, running into your room. That really hurt!

"I warned you," he said, shrugging.

Pouting, you slammed the screen door shut, sticking out your tongue.

*Loser.*

But...a really, really really really, REALLY hot loser.

)()()()()(

Riku beat you there that morning. That was okay, though. It gave you a chance to let him stare from far away while walking slowly toward him pretending not to notice.

"Let's see how far you can get," Riku said, averting his gaze out to the water. You nodded a little, sighing through your nose. "Come on."

He took your hand-yes, that's right, _he_ took _your_ hand-and slowly led you to the water's edge.

"Let's just go already," you said, grinning.

"Alright, alright."

At a normal pace, the two of you walked out into the water. It was a beautiful shade of blue that reminded you of Sora's eyes. But, farther out, the water seemed aqua, and that reminded you of Riku's eyes. You glanced at his eyes to see them glowing with the reflection of the water in them. You internally sighed. Your eyes were a plain grey color that reminded you of stormy skies and other sad/depressing things. No one had ever complimented you on your eyes except Tashie and Manders.

*Tashie and Manders...wonder if they miss me,* you wondered, feeling the water climb up your legs and reaching your hips. *They're probably worried sick. I miss them, but only them. Do they know about all this? I mean, how did I even end up here anyway? I just fell asleep and...wham. I was here.*

Before you could even understand what was going on, you felt your stomach twist. Snapping out of your thoughts, you realized you had walked in up to your collarbone. Holy crap. You were fine before you started thinking too much about it!!

"...?" Riku looked at you with a concerned face.

"I'm not stopping until I have to," you said quietly, taking another step. He didn't protest; he just continued to be with you as you made it up to your chin.

You thought about taking another step, but you suddenly couldn't. It felt like you couldn't breathe, like your lungs and throat were being crushed. You tried to swallow, but it felt like you were choking. Opening your mouth a little, your throat uttered a small squeak.

"Rei?" Riku said, putting a hand on your submersed shoulder. For some unknown reason, you immediately starting shaking uncontrolably. "Rei!? Rei!"

Closing your eyes, you tried to say something, but everything was locked up. You had to wonder if the fear was literally paralyzing you. Your legs were shaking so hard that you thought you might fall into the water and drown. But before you had a chance to, you felt a sudden warmth.

"It's okay," you heard Riku say in your ear. "I've got you. Calm down. It's alright."

It took you a minute to realize it was Riku holding you tightly so you wouldn't fall. You could feel his arms holding you close, like you were something precious. Holy crap.

You continued to tremble as he held you there, whispering in your ear to keep you from losing conciousness. Part of you wished he would let go because your head was hurting from shaking so hard. But the greater half of you wanted him to hold you there forever, simply because you had never felt so much love before. Kairi and Selphie were right, then. Maybe he was falling in love with you?

You can't remember how long it took for you to finally calm down. When you did, though, and you could finally feel your arms, you let them hug Riku back.

"Rei, are you alright now?" he asked, pulling away. *Nooooo...*

Slowly you nodded, and he sighed in relief.

"Don't scare me like that." He looked out at the shoreline. "Here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna go back, okay? But don't rush yourself. Take your time."

You nodded again, still in too much shock to speak. You suddenly felt a strong sadness for people who suffered from tremors and seizures every day. What did they do to get that way? Were any of them like you?

Riku pulled you toward the shoreline, and you warily stepped forward with him, knees wobbling. Noticing your difficulty, Riku pulled one of your half-numb arms around his shoulders and helped your support some of your weight.

"Rei, I think you're crazy," he said, smirking. You looked over at him, shivering a little. At least you were used to the water temperature. "But in a good way. I didn't think you'd keep going."

"I told...you...I wasn't...going to...stop...until I had...to," you managed to murmur, feeling slightly light-headed.

"I know, but...still. I've never seen someone so determined."

You smiled in thanks, then looked down at the diminishing water line. You were almost to safety. And yet it felt like miles away. To top it off, you felt something in your right eye, maybe a short strand of hair that got away from the water or an eyelash. You lifted your other hand to rub it.

"Do...you see anything in...my eye?" you asked, looking at Riku. He nodded and pushed away-as suspected-a short strand of hair. He then stopped.

"Your eyes...they're really-"

"Weird, I know." You could feel your voice coming back.

"I wasn't going to say that."

"Then what were you going to say?"

"I-"

Before he could answer, you felt the water disappear from beneath your feet. You let your knees buckle, and you fell into the sand, exhausted.

"Rei-"

Once again, you didn't hear his full sentence, because you were so tired and so much in pain that you passed out.

)()()()()(

"Way to go, Rei!"

Your eyes shot open as Kairi looked down at your face, grinning.

"I wish I had your energy right now," you joked, blinking a little.

"Still tired?" Sora asked as Kairi placed her chin on his shoulder. You nodded, your eyes half-lidded.

"Sora, could you go away for a second?" Kairi asked suddenly, smiling.

"Why?"

"Just do it pretty please."

Batting her eyes, Kairi pouted. Sora sighed, got up, and left the room.

"So, Rei, have you thought any more about what Selphie and I said yesterday?" she asked, smiling in a devious way that actually kind of scared you.

"Um, a little?" you admitted.

"Are you sure you don't want us to-"

"Kairi, you just keep your nose out of my business for this, okay?" you said quickly.

"Geez, aren't we snappy."

"I'm not trying to be. I just..."

"You just what?"

"Can't I do anything on my own?"

Kairi sat back on her heels for a moment. "I guuuuess you're right. Fine. We'll stay out of it, for now."

You shook your head and closed your eyes. "Stay out of it period."

"Ohhhh...alriiiight."

Satisfied at last, you pulled the sheets closer to you. Where was he?

"You're wondering where he is, aren't you?"

"Huh?"

"Well, he's outside in the little shack. Goodness only knows what he does in there. He's never let me in." Kairi sighed. "Said I 'wouldn't understand.' And he said the same thing to Sora."

"Hmmm..." You had always wondered what they even used that old shack for nowadays.

"Maybe _you_ should give it a shot."

"Maybe...but not today."

You rolled over on your side, letting your arm dangle over the side of the bed.

"Yes, today. But get some rest first, 'kay?"

FLASHBACK END

"I miss that shack," you say, grinning. It's full of memories. Some bad, most good. But...if you had never seen what was inside, maybe you could've prevented..._it_.


	9. Chapter 8: Possibilities

Chapter 8: Possibilities

Memo: yay shacks! They remind me of MASH. ^_^ OMGEE!! Has anyone ever played Crimson Room?! It's SOOO impossible!! Whenever I think of incense, I think of Crimson Room. OOOO! And Vermillion Room! ^o^ .com in case any of you want to check it out. I also suggest Slap the Monkey and Uninvited. Try really hard to beat Uninvited; it's TOTALLY WORTH IT!! Hint: William Hung. Random thing! Go to your computer's control panel and go to sound/speech devices and find the window with Microsoft Sam's voice. Then type the following in:

"my milkshake brings all the boys to the yard. and they're like; it's better than yours. damn right; it's better than yours. I'd give you lessons but I'd have to charge." AND HE SAYS IT PERFECTLY IN BEAT!!! As long as you perfectly type that text above-including punctuation, it turns out perfect. experiment with other songs/phrases!! Okay, done. XD

"I really wish...I could at least have that shack," you say, petting Oka-chan, your now-faithful companion.

FLASHBACK START

After finally getting up and realizing that Riku was not coming back, you headed down to the shack, a little afraid of what might in there. You figured the best approach was to just barge in and act innocent. Kairi seemed to think it was a good idea.

"Tell me all about it, okay?" she said, shoving you outside.

"If I can, I will," you replied, winking.

You headed out toward the shack, and a thick smell of sage filled your nose. Was that...incense? That's crazyness!

Taking a deep breath, you shouted, "Riku? You in..." and threw open the door to find the room dark except for a small fire in the center that was eerily illuminating Riku's face. "...here?"

"Close the door," he commanded, narrowing his eyes. You did as you were told, staying inside.

"I was wondering where you were," you confessed, taking a step toward him.

"Well, now you know. Consider yourself lucky. You're the only other person who's ever come here besides me." He nodded once, meaning for you to sit down. Hesitating, you eventually did as you were told.

The room was full of detail compared to what it used to be in the game, but...still not all that detailed. A long table was pushed up against one wall, and there you saw the incense burning. The windows were covered with black cloths and were literally stapled to the wooden walls. It was completely dark except for the large fire in the very middle. There were no chairs or any furniture other than that table. Riku had a pile of small sticks and driftwood next to him. Every so often he'd break a stick in half and toss one part into the fire.

"What...?" You didn't continue; you were afraid you'd accidentally insult him.

"This is...a sort of sanctuary for me," he said quietly. "It didn't used to be like this in here. It used to be just a small shack sitting around. But...when I came back from...our 'little adventures,' I made some changes and made it mine. The upstairs part connects to the house. It's like a sauna, so to speak."

You nodded, gazing at the roaring fire. Riku continued to break pieces of wood.

"I've done a lot wrong these past few years..." he admitted, frowning. "I...felt like I needed an escape. This is it. This is where I go when I'm questioning what's been going on or what I'm thinking. If I just sit here and think and relax, my mind straightens out and I'm fine. Nothing here can lie to me, or tell me I'm a bad person. I can tell the truth here because it's safe from opinions and biases. That's why I won't let anyone in. I wanted this to be a place where I could just...be me..."

"...Why did you come here today?" you asked, your voice barely above a whisper.

"..." He didn't answer; he just snapped a large piece of driftwood in half and threw the smaller half into the fire. It crackled in reply.

"You don't have to say anything," you said at last.

"Rei, you...can't tell anyone about all this," he said, leaning forward a little. "They'll think I'm crazy...of course, you probably think that now, huh?"

"No, not at all. I completely understand. Actually, it makes a lot of sense to me." You leaned back on your elbows and closed your eyes. "I...kind of wish I could have a place like this."

"This...could be yours, too."

"...Seriously?"

"Yeah."

You smiled a little. "Thank you."

"Just answer me something?" Riku closed his eyes briefly. "...Why? What's...happened to you?"

"Nothing really bad...but...I just never fit in at home, like I've told you before. And...sometimes I just get this feeling...like...something bad is going to happen." This was totally true. Every time something is going really great, you can't help but get the feeling something completely awful is going to happen. "It's like a constant nagging pessimism in my mind."

Riku nodded understandingly.

"...Sometimes I feel like...I just can't do anything right," you admitted, feeling your eyes burn with unshed tears.

"We...all make mistakes," Riku mumbled.

"I know."

As you watched Riku twirl a stick in between his fingers like a drummer with their drumstick, you felt the nagging feeling. He was probably wondering how you "knew." Could you really tell him, though? Would he understand?

But...he said this was a place for you to tell the truth and not be judged. You figured it was worth a try.

"I've...gotta get something off my mind...?" It ended up more like a question than a statement.

"Then say it. I promise I won't judge you," Riku said, still twirling the stick.

You couldn't bear to look at him while you said this. Instead you looked into the fire.

"I...um...back at my old home, I used to really like this video game, and I still do. It's called...Kingdom Hearts. And, um, in the game, well...you don't exist in reality. You're a video game character."

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Riku fumble the stick and snap it.

"What...? Are you...being serious?"

"Yeah. Sora, Kairi, you, Tidus, Selphie, Wakka, everybody and everything, even the worlds...it's all the same. It's all what happened when...Sora got the keyblade." You sit up and hug your knees, pressing your face into them. "There's a sequel, but...I couldn't play it. I hated the way the first one ended."

"How did it end?" Riku asked, his voice shaking a little.

"You and King Mickey, on one side of the door, and Sora, Donald, and Goofy on the other side, closing the door... You were all separated again, even though you were finally together. I didn't even know if you were gonna ever show up again. I...couldn't play the sequel. It was too...depressing. And now that I know it's real, well..."

"But..." Riku threw half of the broken stick in the fire. "You don't know what happened after that, do you?"

"No."

Riku frowned and handed you the other half. You frowned as well, tossing it in. The fire curled a little.

"Can I tell you?"

)()()()()(

You couldn't believe it. Riku became Ansem, erm, Xehanort. You shivered internally at the thought. That was your first thought waking up the next day. (and you woke up MUCH later, around 11?) Kairi was about to kill you the previous for not saying anything about it.

"I can't, Kairi," you insisted.

"PLEEEEASE! Rei, I've been wanting to know for years and you find out the first day!?"

You didn't give in to her pleading.

Now she wants to kill you. Everything was just in a "holy crap" type of mode. Riku had said today he'd get you to go underwater. Even as you woke up and changed, the goggles hung around your thin neck. In fact, all of you was thin. People used to think you were anorexic, but you never were...until after _it_.

*Okay,* you reassured yourself, walking outside. You could still smell the sage and smoke in your nose. *CALM. Like you were last night.*

"You ready to end this?" Riku asked as you casually strolled out onto the beach. His tan neck was goggle-free, probably because he was used to opening his eyes underwater.

"Uh-huh," you replied, bouncing a little.

"Then let's go."

You took his hand, and the two of you walked out into the water at a brisk pace. Everything was fine. Nothing was wrong at all. In fact, he probably didn't even need to hold your hand at this point-but it's not like you were going to complain about it. Even as the water reached your shoulders, you couldn't feel any stabbing pain, any headaches, nothing.

"Okay, ready when you are," Riku said suddenly, stopping. You nodded, readying your goggles. But to do that, you had to let go of his hand. ( :( )

*On the count of three, Rei,* you told yourself. *One...two...three.*

Inhaling deeply, you submersed your head under the water. You almost gasped. IT WAS GORGEOUS. HOLY CRAP. It was probably one of the most amazing things you had ever seen. Tiny little fishes swam around in the aqua-tinted, crystalline ocean. The sand was almost pearly white. You could've stayed under there for forever if you had had the lung capacity.

Then it really hit you:

YOU WEREN'T AFRAID.

You really felt like screaming. It had worked. Holy crap. No way. Holy crap!! You turned around to see Riku standing above the water. Swimming toward him, you quickly surfaced and hugged him.

"!!!!" you screeched in his ear.

"You're welcome," he said, laughing. You hugged him as tightly as you could.

"I did it, I did it, I did it," you said in sing-songy voice over and over again. "Holy crap, that was soooo amazing, Riku!!"

"I know."

"I think I'm gonna go under again!" you exclaimed, finally letting go of him.

"I'll come this time," he said.

You smiled and dove down to the bottom. Sure, you probably looked like a total geek with the goggles on and your hair waving around, but this was too good to ruin. Riku smiled at you, and you grinned back. You swam a little further out, toward a school of fish. They swam past you quickly, trying to avoid you. Running out of breath, you surfaced again.

"Rei, why can you swim?" Riku asked.

"I haven't always been afraid of the water. I learned to swim, but then I almost drowned when I went to the beach once. My surfboard's cord got tangled around my neck and I almost choked and got dragged out to sea." True story. You lived in Spencer Bay, Maine. For vacations you'd go to South Carolina, and that's where it happened. That's the main reason why you became afraid of the water.

"So..."

"I can swim perfectly fine, yes. And surf." The waters looked too calm on the islands, though.

Riku's mouth curled into a smirk. "Let's see how good you are, then."

"...??" It was too calm to surf! What...?

"Race me," he said, pointing to the shack's door. "First one to the door wins. Deal or no deal?"

"Bring it!" you cried, bouncing in excitement.

"Okay, ready? Three, two, one, GO!"

You dove under the water and managed to push yourself forward several feet. Your thin body shape made you aerodynamic-or in this case, _hydro_dynamic. You continued to propel yourself forward, fully aware that you were in the lead.

Suddenly something grabbed your ankle and pulled you back. You watched in anger/hilarity as Riku passed you, sticking out his tongue. It took you a moment to regain your momentum and get to the surface, where you started to run after him.

"CHEATER!" you shouted, laughing too hard to run fast.

"LOSER!" he shouted back, laughing almost as hard. You looked up to see him leaning on the shack door. Mustering the rest of your strength, you managed to walk over to him.

"You are such a cheater!" you squealed, shoving him over into the sand. He only laughed harder, which made you laugh harder. Soon you couldn't even stand anymore, and you ended up collapsing into the sand next to him.

The higher power only knows how long you sat there and laughed your abs off. Enough to start crying, that's for sure. Talk about rotflmao.

"Ho-o-oly cra-a-a-ap," you giggled, wiping your eyes. "I can honestly say I've never laughed that hard in my whole life."

"Me neither," Riku said, still chuckling. Your shoulders still shaking with restrained laughter, you leaned back against the side of the shack. Riku fell back in the sand, smiling brightly, his eyes closed.

"Join me," he said, grinning. Giggling, you fell back next to him, your arms placed behind your head.

"...Riku?" you said after a short moment of silence.

"Yeah?"

"...Thank you."

He opened his aqua eyes at last and sat upright.

"Really! Thank you. I...can't say anyone's ever done anything like that for me."

"Surely...someone has."

"No. I've...kinda always been a loner."

"...Do you like it, though?"

"No."

It hit you a moment later what he meant. You could feel your cheeks flush. HOLY CRAP! How could you have been so stooooo-piiiiiiid?!

"..." You finally managed to summon enough courage to look him in the eye, and when you did, you could practically feel them searching every corner of your heart and soul for the answer he wanted. _Your_ question was...was it really that well-hidden? I mean, you thought sometimes you were being obvious.

Your heart pounding, you leaned toward him. He didn't move away; in fact, you could've sworn _he_ was leaning toward _you_. HOLY CRAP!! You were about to jump out of your skin you were so nervous.

"REIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!???!!!"

You quickly snapped to your senses and whipped your head around to see Kairi and Sora arriving to the dock by a little boat. Jumping to your feet, you mustered a smile to hide how you REALLY felt, which went something like this:

WHAT THE HECK ARE YOUR PROBLEMS?!?!?!??!?!? HOW DARE YOU RUIN MY MOMENT WITH RIKU?!!?! WE WERE SOOOOOOOOOOO CLOSE!!!!! YOU WILL DIE.

But instead you said, "Hey, what's up?"

"Are you better?!" Kairi said, running over to you.

"Yeah!"

"Not afraid anymore?" Sora asked, out of breath.

"Nope!"

"Hey, where's Riku?" Kairi added, looking around.

"What?" You turned around to see he was no longer there. Your heart sped up a little. Was he embarrassed? Is that why he left?

"I thought I saw him here a sec ago," Kairi continued while you scanned the beach. "He was here, wasn't he?"

"Um, yeah," you said, still looking around. You could not detect neither hide nor hair of him. Then it hit you. He was probably in the shack...but you couldn't just run in there right now.

"Well? Rei?"

"Hm?"

"Hungry? It's about lunch time," Sora asked.

You smirked. "Is all you ever think about food?"

"That and Kairi," he said, grinning.

"Awww..." Kairi hugged him tightly; you felt your jaw clench.

"Okay, so...let's go," you said quietly, feeling really BUTT AWFUL. You'd have to wait until Sora and Kairi left to be with Riku, and who knew how long that would take.

FLASHBACK END

"Oka-chan..."

You sniff a little, your shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

"It's not fair! Why...? We were..."


	10. Chapter 9: BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER!

Chapter 9: BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER!!!

Memo: Did y'all have fun with the Microsoft Sam thing? ^o^ I love it. I'm slightly addicted. Anyway, this is the beginning of the end. :( And the chapter title is a quote from my friend. :D OMG this chapter has the meanest line ever, thanks to Sora being a big jerk. XD But it makes me laugh so hard every time!!! XD

Now you're full-out sobbing.

"We had a chance...everything would've worked out...!!" Okayama rubs his head against your wrist. You look down at your hand. "You don't even know what happened next!"

FLASHBACK START

Kairi and Sora didn't leave until much later that night. It was probably around 10. And Riku had still not showed his face. He would even fast...? You...could kind of relate. Scary.

Anyway!

You finally tip-toed down from the house to the shack's door. Taking a deep breath, you placed your hand on the knob. Step one completed. Step two was to open the door. You slowly turned the knob and it opened, to your surprise. You had figured he would lock it. But maybe...he was waiting for you.

Riku's head lifted a little as you entered the room, closing the door behind you. Once your gazes were connected, they didn't break the communication going on between them. You felt your heart in your stomach as you kneeled next to him.

Maybe you went first, or maybe he did, or maybe it was even at the exact same time. But...any way it went, the same thing happened. You both ended up on the same level, and you kissed. And it wasn't just any "teehee I'm shy" type of thing. It was a "I've finally found you, I've got you where I want you, and I'm not letting go" type of thing. It wasn't a "first kiss, I'm so nervous" type of thing, either. It was a "I'm not gonna slow down anytime soon, love" type of kiss. And it definitely wasn't a safe kiss; more like "let's see how far we can take this passion."

"Riku," you breathed as he kissed you back. "I know why you came this time."

He smiled a little, touching your cheek lightly. "You've...changed me, Rei," he said quietly, kissing your neck. You could feel little tingles around where his lips had touched your skin. "I didn't know I...could feel this way about anyone."

You slowly slid your arms around his neck, kissing him passionately. Ahhh...

You felt his arms squeeze your waist and the rest of your torso closer to his. It was probably a good thing you were still in a vertical position, otherwise there could've been some trouble that night. Even still, you couldn't help but wonder what your parents might think...wait! Might?

*They won't ever even know!* you thought, which compelled you to be even more devious. *Nobody is going to know anyway back home. I'll never see them again...*

Why did it even matter? It was your life! Nobody could tell you what to do. That's what you decided. Finally, you could decide your own path.

That's when you remembered.

"Riku, I..." You started laughing.

"What?" he asked, touching the tip of his nose to yours.

"I just remembered...today is my birthday."

Riku blinked.

"Eighteen," you giggled, kissing his slack-jawed mouth.

"No way," he said after you finished.

"Yeah, I definitely forgot."

"I feel bad," he said suddenly. "I couldn't even get you anything."

"You did. This. This is what I wanted. More than anything!" You smiled brightly. "This is the best birthday present anyone could've ever given me!"

Riku smiled happily. "I'm still going to get you something," he insisted, standing and pulling you up with him. You giggled.

"It's probably after 11, Riku," you said. "I don't think anywhere's even open."

"Then I will tomorrow. You're gonna get something. Quit trying to talk me out of it."

"I love you."

He kissed you as you jumped into his arms. Kicking open the door, he carried you outside, still making out with you all the while. You heard someone gasp, so you whipped your head to the side. CRAP. So much for your original plan.

"Rei?!" Kairi half-shouted.

"RIKU!?" Sora full-out shouted, eyes wide. You felt yourself blush.

"What're you doing here?" you asked, still clinging to Riku.

"I left my sunglasses behind, so Sora and I came back to get them. We were just now walking out to the boat to leave," Kairi said, smirking.

"Then leave," you said, smiling devilishly.

"Wait," Riku said quickly. "Sora, do you know if anything is still open this late?"

"Why, need to buy a condom?"

"_NO_."

"Today is my birthday, and I kinda just remembered it about five minutes ago," you explained, your cheeks burning. That was HARSH AND _MEAN_!

"NO WAY!" Kairi screeched, bouncing up and down.

"Really?" Sora asked, grinning.

"Yeah. My eighteeth."

"AND YOU _FORGOT_ ABOUT IT?!" they shouted in unison.

"Pretty much."

"Does that mean we're celebrating tomorrow, then?" Kairi asked.

"Yeah," Riku said for you.

"Coolness! What time?"

"I'll call you guys later," Riku said, nodding.

"Okay. See you then," Sora said, saluting.

"Be good," Kairi added, linking her arm with Sora's.

You simply smiled a little, trying to look innocent. The two of them left, and as soon as their boat was completely out of sight, Riku gave you a huge kiss on the lips.

"We'll do that another night," he joked, smiling.

You smiled back as he continued to carry you to the house. But seriously? Was he joking? You thought about it for a little while. What was it you REALLY wanted? Was it that? Were you really that slutty? Wouldn't that make you a whore? No...that involves money. Then again, who cared? It's not like Riku would be gone after that. You knew that wouldn't happen with him, no matter what. Still, you'd have to think about it.

)()()()()(

The next morning you woke to people screaming in your ear:

"HAPPY --belated-- 18th BIRTHDAY, REI!!!!!"

"Thanks, you guys," you said, laughing and rubbing your head.

"Here, presents!!" Sora said, shoving gifts into your hands.

"Come downstairs, I made an aweosme breakfast!" Kairi insisted.

"Tidus, Selphie, and Wakka are here, too!" Riku said, pulling you out of bed.

"Okay, okay! One thing at a time!" you exclaimed as Riku, Sora, and Kairi dragged you downstairs. You struggled to keep a hold on your gifts as they forced you onto the couch.

"HI REI!!" Selphie shouted, hugging you.

"Hi," you managed to say, suffocating.

"This is Tidus and Wakka," she then said, gesturing to the two boys at her left. You nodded a hello at each of them, even though you recognized them from not only Kingdom Hearts, but from FF10. That was a good game, too.

"Happy birthday," Tidus said, nodding back.

Before you could say anything, Kairi shoved a piece of food in your open mouth.

"Good, huh?" she asked, grinning. It _was_ good, but you were about to choke.

"G-guys, it's not even that big of a deal," you said, swallowing. You could feel the lump of food slither down your esophagas.

"Sure it is!" Selphie exclaimed. "Wait until you see your gifts!"

"Open them!!" Sora, Tidus, and Wakka shouted.

"Okay, already!" you shouted, a little freaked out. They were more excited than you. *Something must be up,* you thought to yourself as you opened the first gift. "Aw, haha! Awesome-ness!"

A pair of black, leather gloves with your name embroidered on them was from Selphie and Kairi.

"We thought you might like those," Kairi said, smiling brightly.

"I do, they're pretty much awesome!" No joke. You've been wanting these type of gloves since the first Kingdom Hearts came out.

"Glad you like 'em!" Selphie said, bouncing a little.

You smiled at her, then started opening the next present.

*Tashie, now I miss you,* you thought, opening a box with four pairs of small earrings in it. *You used to always get me earrings.*

"These are adorable!" you exclaimed. "...Sora...are these seriously from you?"

"Yeah. Kairi picked them out, though," he said quickly, blushing.

"If you say so," you giggled, overlooking them. Diamonds, pearls, aquamarines, and little crystal stars...very, very adorable.

"Come with me," Riku said suddenly, pulling you up. You blinked. What did he want? You turned to look at Kairi questioningly; she simply grinned. Heart pounding, you let Riku take you into the other room. "Close your eyes," he commanded. You did so, biting your bottom lip. You were a little afraid, but excited at the same time. You felt like bouncing. Before you could start, though, you felt Riku kiss you on the lips. Every tense muscle in your body immediately relaxed. Who knows how long you stood there...before he placed something into your hands.

"Open your eyes," he said, pulling away. Hesitating, you finally opened your eyes to see a small box sitting in the palm of your hand. Holy crap. You could tell it was a ring box. Trembling, you gently undid the small silver lock on it. Silver...instead of gold...how did he know you didn't really like gold?

It wasn't what you expected, but it was just as good. Only better. ^_~

"Ohhh, Riku," you whispered, your breath taken away. Inside was indeed a ring. But it wasn't an engagement ring, nor was it cheap. It was something you'd never seen before. Gently you picked it up to get a closer look. There were two R's intertwined in the stone, which was a deep turquoise: the same color of Riku's eyes. Engraved into the underside of the ring's band were the simple three words any girl wants to hear from the guy she loves: I Love You. That's right--with caps.

Slipping the ring on your finger, Riku smiled a little.

"It's a promise," he said. "We'll be together...forever. No matter what happens, we'll have each other."

Unable to speak, you simply nodded, then threw your arms around his neck. Sobbing, you squeezed him tightly. A promise...that you _knew_ would be safe...

FLASHBACK END

"...That I _thought_ would be safe..." you say, wiping your nose and eyes. Your tears glisten on the back of your black gloves. Slowly you reach up to touch each pair of earrings. Diamonds...pearls...aquamarines...and the little crystal stars. To top it off, a belly button ring, and you were planning on getting a nose ring soon...

"Some things will never change."

You look down at your right hand and smile a little.

"I Love You."

You start to cry.

"I still do!"


	11. Chapter 10: Journey:PLEASE READ MEMO

Chapter 10: Journey~PLEASE READ MEMO

Memo: Meet the author with semi-lemons! ^^ Making the world a safer, less disgusting place to read!! ^^ Okay, I'll shut up now. That's your warning, by the way. ^_- MR MACK YOU ROCK!!! "KEEP IT CLEAN!!!!" *dies laughing* btw, back and forths are so-OOOH fun to write. I love writing fighting internally. ^^ Heehee! ^^ Not even kidding, this is my favorite type of thing to write: the back and forth stuff- mind vs heart. If you have never done it, try it! It's like...Gollum versus Smeagol. XD

"Mrew?"

Okayama crawls into your arms, purring slightly. You sniff.

"I still...love you..."

FLASHBACK START

You could've died when he said there was more.

"Huh?" you said, wiping your eyes.

"Come with me, and close your eyes again," he said, pulling you to your feet. You had practically collapsed into him.

"O-okay," you stammered, squeezing your eyes shut. Your heart pounding, you let Riku guide you through the house. Kairi and Selphie were giggling the entire time. Everyone was following you; you could hear their footsteps.

Eventually you felt the sand beneath your bare feet. You were outside...but why?!

"Okay, be careful, just follow my lead," Riku murmured.

Shaking with excitement, you slowly ascended a small flight of stairs.

"Ready?"

"YES!" you practically screamed. You really wanted to know what the heck was going on!!!

"Open 'em, then."

Your eyes shot open, and your jaw dropped down.

HOLY CRAP.

"NO WAY!!" you shrieked. "Is this seriously...mine?!"

"Yeah," everyone said in unison.

You let out a loud squeal. YOU GOT YOUR VERY OWN GUMMI SHIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"I WANNA GO SOMEWHERE!" you cried, getting behind the controls. "Teach me how to fly!!"

"Where exactly do you wanna go?" Sora asked, crossing his arms.

"EVERYWHERE!! ANYWHERE!!" You jumped to your feet and hugged everyone, Riku last, so you could hold on to him longer. "Thank you all so much!! You have no idea how excited I am!!"

"Betcha we could take a guess," Wakka said, grinning.

You grinned back. This was amazing. Your very own gummi ship. For real. All yours. You started to wander around and look at everything there.

You saw the two bathrooms, the first bedroom, but your favorite was the second bedroom with a large window. Right then it had a perfect view of the ocean.

"Y'know, if you want-"

You whipped your head around to see Kairi, Sora, and Riku standing there.

"...We could go somewhere tomorrow," Sora continued.

"What's the closest world you know?!" you asked quickly, sitting on one of the beds.

"Hollow Bastion, I think," Riku replied. You could feel your heart speed up. Hollow Bastion was your favorite world from Kingdom Hearts. Beautiful...but haunting. But beautiful.

"Can we seriously go tomorrow?" you said, pleading with your eyes. You had become amazingly good at that over the past few years.

"Well...if you want to," Sora said.

"YAY! I'm so excited!" you shrieked, jumping up and hugging Kairi.

"ME TOO!" she shouted, bouncing. Soon the two of you were dancing through the ship, singing "WE'RE TAKING A ROAD TRIP!" over and over.

"Geez louise, calm down," Sora said, shaking his head.

"Aren't you excited?" Kairi asked, crossing her arms.

"Well, yeah, I guess so. But I'm not freaking out, am I?"

"YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO!" you screamed in his face. Kairi laughed and started bouncing with you again.

"A road trip with just the four of us!" Kairi said, twirling around. "This is gonna ROCK!!"

"Riku, are you excited?" you asked, dragging him into your celebration.

"I guess now I have to be, huh?" he replied, smirking.

"SURE DO!" you and Kairi shouted in unison, dancing around. Sora was dragged in by Kairi, and soon all four of you were jumping and dancing around chanting "ROAD TRIP!" at the top of your lungs.

"Okay, now I'm tired," Kairi finally said, slowly sitting down in a chair.

"We should start packing stuff anyway," Sora agreed.

"I'll handle food," Kairi said.

"I'll get utilities," Sora added.

"What about us?" Riku asked.

"Just help us load. Go ahead and pack."

You nodded, and, taking Riku's hand, the two of you headed back to the house.

"I have a feeling this is gonna be awesome," you said, smiling at Riku.

"What is?" he asked.

"Today, tomorrow...the whole freaking rest of my life." You grinned up at the blue sky. "I've never felt so optimistic in my WHOLE LIFE!"

"I can tell you're enjoying it, then."

You closed your eyes briefly, nodding.

"Nothing can ruin this. Nothing."

)()()()()(

"I think we've got everything," Sora said, checking a kitchen cabinet. YOUR SHIP HAS A KITCHEN!! How neat is that?!

"I would say so," Riku agreed. You looked at Kairi, and the two of you shrugged a little. You didn't know what to do, so you just let the guys handle it.

"It's almost dinner time," Kairi said suddenly.

"Now you're talking!" Sora exclaimed, running outside.

"Guess we're serving," you said, laughing.

The three of you followed Sora outside and into the house.

"Tomorrow will be a good day!" Kairi said, swinging her arms cheerfully. You linked arms with her and skipped to the house.

"C'mere!" You grabbed Riku and pulled him along.

"Oh, geez," he said, laughing.

"IT'S A GOOD DAY!" Kairi shouted in your ear.

"YAY GOOD DAYS!" you shouted back, giggling.

(~You didn't know it, but it was about to get way better.~)

)()()()()(

"Thanks for dinner!" Sora said, heading out the door.

"See you tomorrow!" Kairi exclaimed, waving.

"Remember, you guys: get up early so we can get there while it's still light out," Sora added.

"Aw, c'mon, you got hyperdrive on the ship, didn't you?" Riku said, stretching.

"Just don't do anything stupid."

"Define stupid," you said, crossing your arms and smirking.

"Don't get wasted," Kairi said quickly, winking.

"BYE!" they shouted, walking to their boats.

You waved and smiled at your friends.

"Like we'd get wasted," you said, grinning at Riku as he closed the door.

"Nahhh, we're not _that_ distasteful, are we?" he asked, smirking in a devious way.

"Not quite."

"Define distasteful," Riku said, walking upstairs.

"Don't get wasted, don't steal, don't do drugs, and no strip clubs."

Riku laughed with you.

"I'll be in my room if you need me," he said, walking out of sight.

*I need you,* you thought, your heart fluttering. *But first...I need to do some thinking.*

You walked upstairs and into your bedroom. Shutting the door behind you, you walked over to your bed and sat down. You pulled your knees to your chest, feeling light-headed.

*What is it that you really want, Rei?* you asked yourself, twirling your ring. *Surely you can't be ready to take it that far so quickly.*

*But I think I am.*

*You've only been "together" not even twenty-four hours.*

*Does it really matter?*

*One might think.*

*Welllll, I feel like...I can do it and not worry. We'll always be together. It's not like I have to face things alone now.*

*You're...really in love, aren't you?*

*Yup, I do think so.*

*Then no one can stop you but you. Do what you think is okay. Except...I don't agree with you.*

You looked out your window to find the sky dark. The clock on your wall read 10:04.

*Change your mind, Rei,* your brain said.

*I can't turn back,* replied your heart as you got off your bed. Locking your bedroom door, you snuck out onto the balcony and into Riku's room. He turned his head quickly, then relaxed when he saw it was you.

Riku was watching some random t.v. show you'd never seen before. It looked like their world's version of SNL. You walked over to him and sat next to him. He put an arm around your waist. You laid your head on his shoulder, sighing through your nose.

*You can still go back,* your mind argued. *It doesn't have to be tonight.*

*I've already decided,* said your heart as it pounded in your stomach.

*What if he doesn't want what you want?*

*Then we'll wait.*

*You're being unrealistic, you realize. You've only been together for a few days, going out even less.*

*This whole thing is unrealistic. YOU'RE being irrelevant.*

As a commercial came on, Riku turned to look at you. You placed your chin on his shoulder so you could look at him. He looked happy. You're pretty sure you did. You know you FELT happy.

"What are you thinking about?" you asked him, smiling.

"You."

If only everything were that simple.

*Don't,* said your brain.

*Do,* said your heart.

Riku kissed you on the tip of your nose. Smiling, you kissed him back.

*What would your sister and Manders think of this, Rei?!*

*They won't ever know, stupid.*

Things started slowly. Kiss after kiss until it felt completely natural that way.

*You can quit still.*

*I could, couldn't I?*

*Promises don't mean anything!* your mind insisted.

As you and Riku started to get more and more intense, your heart shouted back, *PROMISES MEAN _EVERYTHING_!*

*Don't fool yourself, Rei!*

You let Riku touch your stomach and waist. *Who's fooling? Seems like he isn't.*

*You know _I'm_ the thinker!*

It took you a moment to realize it was actually happening now. You could feel the rush. *But apparently you don't know everything. You couldn't know what I really am. I've found myself, and I'm not letting that life get away.*

*You could still quit, Reina! Things are too bad yet!*

You couldn't believe your mind was still thinking that.

*My heart has decided. You can't change that,* you told your throbbing brain.

Staring into Riku's aqua eyes, you knew you couldn't stop. There was too much emotion now. Too close to stop. You didn't have any real reason _to_ stop.

So you didn't.

You gave up your half.

He gave up his.

And you were together.

FLASHBACK END

Pulling your knees to your chest, you start sobbing. That is such a painful memory.

"I had nothing to lose then," you sob, cradling Okayama. "I didn't even think about the bad things. I should've listened to my mind. My heart was...wrong..."

Okayama squirms out of your clutching grip as you wail into your hands.

"We could've had everything, Oka-chan. We did. We did have everything. We were happy, so why did it have to end?!"


	12. Chapter 11: SAKURA drops

Chapter 11: SAKURA drops

Memo: This is the middle of the end. ...Wait, that doesn't make sense...oh well! ^^ I thought this song's mood fits Rei pretty well....SAKURA drops, I mean. It's an Utada Hikaru song. :D I wish I could better express how loud Rei starts screaming here...imagine a rock concert times 10 coming out of one person...anyway, you'll see.

"..."

FLASHBACK START

"RIKU!!!!!"

Your eyes shot open as someone pounded on the other side of Riku's door. It took a moment for your mind to process what all had just happened.

....

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO OVERSLEEP!! NOW GET YOUR LAZY REAR IN GEAR!!" Sora shouted through the door.

"Get out," Riku whispered in your ear. Nodding, you collected your clothes and gave him one last kiss. Then you silently and swiftly ran out to the balcony and into your room.

"REI?!? WAKE UP!!" Kairi shouted from the other side of your locked bedroom door.

"Okay, fine, I'm getting up! Hold on a sec!" you shouted as if you'd been there all along.

"Finally!"

Throwing on your clothes, you opened the door and let Kairi in.

"Geez, heavy sleeper, much?" she commented, grinning. You smiled brightly.

"You don't even know," you said, crossing your arms. You were overly aware that your body was saturated with dry sweat from just last night. "I really need to take a shower."

As soon as you said this, you heard the shower turn in from across the house.

"Sounds like Riku beat you to it," Kairi giggled.

"Not for long," you said, running out of your room and into his. The bathroom door was closed, but when you twisted the handle, it opened right up. You were mentally betting munny he did that on purpose. Clever he was indeed.

Locking the door behind you, you stripped off your disgusting clothes and opened the shower curtain enough for you to come in behind Riku. He didn't notice you at first...that is, until you squeezed him around the waist with your arms. Jumping a little, he whipped his head around.

"Good thing it's me, huh?" you asked in a whisper, grinning.

"Psh. Yeah," he replied, smirking. "Mad I beat you to it?"

"Well, a little, but we'll save time and water this way, right?"

Riku grinned and nodded. You smiled sweetly, shifting your weight from one foot to the other. Guess what your sister once told you was true: inside every girl, there is a slut waiting to be born. _When_ it's born depends on the girl.

Your slut side of you was definitely created last night and that morning. There the two of you were, arse naked, in the shower, making out while your two friends were waiting on you anyway because you both overslept because the previous night you made love. Great, huh?

"We should probably go," Riku said finally, turning off the water. You nodded.

"I'll go first," you said, grabbing a towel and stepping out of the shower. You could Kairi and Sora talking to each other. Giving Riku one last kiss, you wrapped the towel around yourself and ran outside.

"Ehhh, cold, need clothes," you mused, acting your part rather well. "AH! What are you guys doing in here?"

"Uhh, nothing?" Sora replied, frowning.

"Waiting on you two," Kairi added.

"We'll be there in a second, just get out!" you squealed, running out the door and to your room. Slamming the door behind you, you quickly wrung out your hair and changed into clean clothes. You didn't have real time to dry your hair, so you just left it damp and ran out to the ship where Kairi and Sora waited.

"Where's Riku?" you asked, out of breath. "Is he here yet?"

"He is now."

Riku ran up behind you, also out of breath. He looked about as frazzled as you felt. When he caught your eye, though, you could see a smile tugging at his lips.

"Let's get going!" Kairi exclaimed, running inside.

"Alright!" you shouted, following her.

)()()()()(

It was a long time later, sometime that afternoon (5ish possibly), when you finally woke up. You had been sitting with Riku on the windowseat and had fallen asleep. Keeping your eyes closed, you let yourself eavesdrop on Kairi and Sora's conversation.

"Aw, Sora, they're so cute," Kairi giggled quietly.

"Cute, but they took forever this morning," Sora said, a trace of anger still in his voice.

"I know. Wonder what the deal was."

"One can only guess."

"I'm kind of afraid to, actually."

There was an awkward silence, and then you heard someone shudder.

"I don't think they did, though," Kairi said. *You just keep thinking that.*

"Yeah, you're right. Rei's too chicken, I think."

They both laughed, and you almost shouted at them, "You wanna BET?!", but instead you kept up your act.

"Hey, we're here," Sora said suddenly.

"Guys!"

Your eyes slowly fluttered open as Kairi's face blurred into your vision.

"We're here!" she exclaimed, pulling you off of Riku. You had literally been asleep on his stomach.

"Riku, wake up," you said quietly, tugging on his hair. His mouth drew into a frown. "Get up, sleepy head."

Riku's aqua eyes opened lazily, looking around.

"What...?" he muttered, rubbing his eyes.

"We're here," Sora said. You could feel the ship land. "Rei, didn't you say earlier that we passed your world?"

You nodded, biting your bottom lip. It was true. On the way to Hollow Bastion, you had passed Earth. Now you knew where it was. No biggie, though. Heck, you had even showed them all your state: Maine.

"Maybe we could visit," Kairi said. You could feel Riku's gaze boring through to your thoughts.

"Umm, that probably wouldn't be a good idea," you murmured. "Although I guess we could go find my sister and friend. Maybe."

"That would be fun," Kairi declared, opening the door to the ship. "Aw, Sora, why'd you land in the depressing part of the world?"

This was true also. Sora had landed in the castle area. You didn't mind, though. This was more scenic.

"I think this'll be cool, though," you said, walking outside. "You guys lead, though. I...um, don't know where I'm going."

Sora nodded, and he and Kairi took the lead. Riku stayed back with you, smirking at you.

"Nice cover," he mouthed, rolling his eyes. You pouted and playfully smacked him in the stomach.

"Where do you want to go after this?" Sora asked.

"I dunno," you said. "Somewhere fun." Kairi suddenly gasped; you tensed up.

"ATLANTICA!!" she squealed. You let out a breath of relief. "REI!!! You'd love that place! It's an underwater world! You getta be a mermaid!"

"Sounds awesome!" you exclaimed. "We can go there next, then."

"Okay," Sora said, shrugging. You smirked at Riku, who smiled back. You knew Sora secretly liked that world a little too much.

"Just don't hit on Ariel," Riku teased, giving Sora a flat-tire.

"Ow, I won't! I never have!" Sora snapped, fixing his shoe as you ventured deeper into the castle.

"Sure you haven't," Kairi said angrily, whacking his arm.

"I haven't!"

You and Riku watched and listened as Kairi and Sora argued like a married couple.

"She's not even pretty. She's actually really annoying, too," Sora admitted.

"..." Kairi crossed her arms and pretended to contemplate all this.

"C'mon, Kairi, you know-!"

Suddenly a black creature sprung out at you and your friends.

"Heartless!?" Kairi shrieked, summoning a keyblade.

"What are THEY doing here?!" Sora shouted, also summoning a keyblade.

"Rei, just stay back!" Riku said, giving you a small peck on your cheek as he ran over to Kairi and Sora.

"We'll handle this!" Sora said confidently as more Heartless appeared.

You nodded, eyes wide. You were a little scared, but you had confidence that your friends and beau could handle this. To relax yourself, you started trying to remember all the names of the Heartless that were appearing. Hm...shadows...Darkballs...Wyverns...Wizards...and a couple of those really freaky ones...Defenders.

You stared at your friends as they fought against the continually growing mass of Heartless. It was like this in the game; you'd get these swells, and then everything would be quiet and peaceful. Still, you couldn't help but be a little afraid.

It didn't even occur to you at first that you were backing up and away from the confusion. But you were, and you only figured it out when you bumped into something uncomfortable behind you. Whipping your head around, your heart sped up as you stood face-to-face with a Defender and its dog-headed shield.

"G-guys!?" you squeaked as the shield's eyes glowed yellow. You let out a shriek and put up your arms in defense as the Defender pulled back its shield and prepared to strike. Holy crap...

It was probably going to kill you.

*Oh well,* you thought, bracing for the worst. *At least I'll die knowing real love.*

The next few moment seemed to go by in slow motion. As the dog-headed shield lunged forward, you felt someone's hand grab your shoulder and pull you back.

"REI!"

You lowered your arm and opened your eyes to see Riku standing in front of you. Before you could get the two of you to safety, you saw the dog's mouth hit Riku straight in the chest. To your shock and horror, it pulled a glowing, beating heart out of his chest. His eyes widened in shock and pain.

"Riku-!" you managed to whisper as suddenly the dog's jaws clenched down. Riku's heart shattered into tiny pieces.

"_NO_!" you screamed, trying to grab Riku. But before you could touch him one last time, Riku's body then shattered as well. "__!!!" The tiny glowing pieces of him floated into the air as tears poured from your eyes. *This can't be happening!!*

"RIKUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!" you shrieked, falling to your knees. "RIIIIIIIKUUUUUUUUU!!! NOOOOOOOOO!!!"

"Rei, let's go!" Kairi screamed, crying, but not nearly as hard as you.

*He can't be dead!* your mind shouted as you doubled over in hysterics.

Kairi tried to pull you to your feet, but she only lifted you a little.

"_RIIIIKKKUUUUUUUUU_!!!" you sobbed over and over. "COME BAAAAAACK!!!!"

"Rei!"

You lifted your head to see the same Defender that..._killed_ _Riku_...coming your way. Jumping to your feet, you ran over to it and screamed at it.

"_BRING HIM _!!" you shrieked at the top of your lungs. You started crying so hard that you couldn't even form words. They were just pathetic, desperate screams of complete grief and disbelief. Just yesterday everything was perfect!!! What happened?!!? WHAT DID YOU DO TO DESERVE THIS?!?!

"Rei, we need to get out of here!" Sora shouted at you, his voice repeatedly cracking. He grabbed your arm and you immediately wrenched it away, still screaming at the Heartless that was responsible for all this.

"We've got to leave here!" Sora repeated, literally dragging you away.

"WE CAN'T JUST LEAVE HIM!" you insisted, sobbing.

"He's-he's dead, Rei! There's...nothing we can do..."

You continued to scream Riku's name and other things like "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" They seemed to be the only words you could say.

Finally you reached the ship. Sora quickly closed the door and released your arm. You dropped to your knees, screaming and crying.

"RIIIIIIKUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" you wailed, close to the point of hyperventilation.

Kairi said nothing, but instead kneeled next to you and hugged you, crying as well.

"Rei, we're taking you home," Sora said, flying off.

"W-what do you mean?" you managed to sputter.

"You're...not coming back with us."

"WHATTHEHELL?!?!?" you shrieked, choking on your sobs. You jumped to your feet and ran over to Sora. "You...wouldn't!?"

"Rei, it'll be better for you this way." You shake your head, eyes wide. *THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING TO ME!!!!!* "If you come back to the islands, you'll just miss him more!"

"NO!!" You stumbled backward, then ran to your room, sobbing even harder. They were just going to abandon you! What did Sora know, anyway?!!

"Rei, I'm..."

Kairi sat down on your bed next to you and hugged you tightly.

"You can't let him do this, Kairi," you squeaked, shaking.

"Maybe...he's right, though. Maybe it will be better-"

"NO! Kairi, you don't...understand." You knew this would be your only chance to keep yourself on the islands by spilling the dirt on yourself to her. It was your only plan. "I...loved him..."

"I know, Rei."

"No, you _don't_!" You looked Kairi straight in the eye, still crying. "I _loved _him."

Kairi stopped for a moment, then gasped in realization of what you were saying. That only made you cry harder.

"Rei...you didn't really...?!"

You nodded, sobbing into your hands.

"..." Kairi left the room quickly, shutting the door behind her. You continued to wail into your hands, shaking hysterically. "Riku...you're...dead..." It felt so wrong to say those words in a sentence and really mean it. Every so often you could hear Sora and Kairi shouting at each other.

*Please, I just wanna stay on the islands,* you prayed.

Another few minutes of absolute hilarity passed, then Sora opened the door.

"C'mon, Rei," he said, his eyes bloodshot. If he looked so bad, then you were AFRAID to see yourself. "Get your stuff."

You nodded, thinking he meant you were back on the islands. Obediently but still sobbing, you gathered the few possessions you had-your gifts and clothes Kairi had bought you and followed Sora out into the front area of the ship. Kairi was sitting in a chair, crying into her hands.

"Rei, I know you're gonna hate me-"

You immediately shrieked, "_NO_!" and dropped your stuff.

"You can't do this, Sora!!" you screamed.

"Rei, it's for your own good! Just trust me!" Sora walked over to the controls again. "Tell me where your house is."

"No-"

"REI! DAMM!T, JUST TELL ME WHERE YOUR HOUSE IS!!!" he screamed at you. You started crying even harder as you shakily pointed him in the right direction. Nobody had EVER sworn to your face in such a way before. Ever.

Before you could do anything about it, you were being shoved outside onto your front lawn in the faded morning light.

"NO!!! KAIRI!! SORA!!" you screamed as Sora slammed the door shut and started arguing with Kairi. "YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE ME HERE!!!"

"Rei!?"

You heard your mother's shout multiple times, but you kept screaming at your friends, begging them not to leave. To your complete frustration, the ship flew away, and your mother came running outside.

"Oh my word! Rei! You're alive!" she shrieked. "You're alive!! You're okay!" She hugged you tightly, sobbing. You continued to sob, but not for the same reason.

Riku was dead.

FLASHBACK END

Riku is dead.

It's a sad, sad reality.

But it's still reality.

"...Riku," you sob, holding your quaking stomach from crying so hard. Okayama manages to crawl up your arm and onto your bent knees.

"Mreow?"

"...Riku... ...Things...didn't get better. Leaving the islands didn't help at all. In fact...it made things... a lot worse. Especially..._it_."


	13. Chapter 12: Kare Wo Ushinatta

Chapter 12: Kare Wo Ushinatta

Memo: Anyone recognize that from NLB? It means "I lost him." Thanks for that, shiranai!! ^^ Now, this chapter will be pretty long, and it will be flashing back on and off again...sorry if you get lost...but it explains pretty much everything, including..._it_. If you have a weak stomach...I'm sorry...hehe, hope you never watch Saving Private Ryan!! XD Haha, and I dedicate this part to Mina and Kaitloops. :3 You guys make me smile. I give thanks to the book Troy for this aksi. I got the way to describe her pain from the scenes with Marpessa. Has anyone read that book? Rather interesting. REALLY SCANDALOUS, but interesting. Oh, and finally, I love private school kids. XD

"...Things started going downhill as soon as I got home," you say, shaking your head in deep sorrow.

FLASHBACK START

Your mother cradled your in her arms as you cradled your belongings in your arms. It was all you had. She led you inside, and you expected to see Tashie up and ready to console you. Or maybe Manders. But no one else was home.

The first thing your mom did was call your dad. The second person she called was Tashie.

"Tashie? It's your mom," your mom said (her name is Arlene).

"What's up?" you could hear Tashie say. You started crying even harder. At least you had her and Manders. They were all you had.

"Hi, Mrs. Nichols!" you heard Manders shout over the phone.

"Tashie, come home now."

"But mom, we're only in New York!"

"I know, just come home!"

"Why? What happened? Did you hear something?"

You were about to swipe the phone from your mom's hands when she abruptly hung up.

"Oh, Rei," she sobbed, hugging you.

"D-don't touch me," you murmured, shivering. *Riku...*

"Where have you been? What's all this?"

Your mom took the earrings and examined them.

"No! They're gifts! From my friends!" you snapped, snatching the earrings out of her hands.

"Rei, what happened to you? Who kidnapped you?"

You didn't answer; instead you jumped up and ran to your room. Slamming the door behind you, you locked it and collapsed onto your bed. You were sobbing so hard you were hiccuping and shaking. You even felt like you were going to throw up. It was the worst feeling you'd ever experienced. And it never really went away completely...

)()()()()(

About an hour later, the phone rang. You lifted your head and listened closely through your door.

"Hello?...Yes, speaking... ...Excuse me?..."

You then heard a loud thump. Jumping out of bed, you ran over to the kitchen phone to see your mom passed out on the floor. The phone was lying there, and you could hear a voice saying "Hello?" over and over.

"H-hello?" you said, picking up the phone.

"Mrs. Nichols, let me say I'm sorry," the man said. Your heart sped up when you heard sirens in the background.

"What happened again?" you asked.

"Your daughter Natasha was in a car accident...and...I'm sorry. There's no easy way for me to say this: she's dead."

"WHAT!?" you shrieked.

"Ma'am?"

"No, this is Natasha's sister! Rei! Reina Marie Nichols!" you shouted into the phone, trembling.

"Rei? You're the one that's been missing for a while! A month!"

*A month...that isn't right!* you thought, then wondered if there was a time difference between your worlds.

"YEAH! Tell her I'm alive! Tell Tashie I'm okay!"

"I-I'm sorry...She's dead."

"Then what about the other girl?! Amanda! Manders! Tell her I'm alive!"

"I'm...so sorry, Rei...she died."

You screamed and slammed the phone into it's charger cradle.

"WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?!?!" you shrieked, running to your room.

You locked the door behind you, then shoved a dresser in front of it. It completely covered the door, conveniently enough. You then fell onto your bed, sobbing hysterically.

FLASHBACK END

"I lost everything!" you cry, trembling. "I didn't know how it could get any worse!..."

You look down at your feet, then at Okayama.

"Oka-chan...I didn't eat...I didn't sleep...for...over a week. The only water I got was from my bathroom sink. I...just couldn't handle it for so long..." You sigh a little. "I talked to myself a lot. I was...and still am...so, so lonely. I also talked to Riku. I would have these...completely pathetic one-way conversations with him...and Manders and Tashie a little, too. But mostly Riku. Because...he felt alive to me when I did it, so..."

You shake your head. "Things weren't any better at school. People wouldn't even look at me. Teachers couldn't respect me like they used to. The person who even looked at me was the boy Manders knew. His name was Yihen. But no one talked to me. Everyone saw I was upset constantly. I was becoming anorexic. I was, at one time, a technical anorexic. I'm not anymore...but that's only because...I got..."

You swallow hard. "I hate thinking about this, but...maybe if I say it all out loud, it'll help me a little."

FLASHBACK START

You woke up early one Saturday morning, feeling really ill. (It was about two weeks after coming back to Maine.) You managed to force yourself out of bed and to the bathroom. Normally the feeling would go away, but that day, you actually threw up. And that NEVER happens to you.

Feeling a sharp pain in your stomach, you doubled over in pain, feeling awful. The nausea had subsided, but the pain was still there. Weakly, you crawled back into bed and tried to fall asleep again. The back of your mind was working overtime, trying to figure out why you felt so crappy.

Morning came, and you woke up feeling somewhat better. However, your lower abdomen felt constricted. Then it hit you.

*Ah, best time of the month,* you thought, rolling your eyes. *Prolly doesn't help I'm anorexic.*

)()()()()(

A week passed, and still the sickness was there. You missed the Thursday and Friday of that school week you felt so badly.

*What's happening to me?* you wondered, curled up in bed. Not even the strongest painkiller was helping you; they were just making you pass out, as usual. You started listing all the possibilities in your head.

-I might just have a virus.

-Food poisoning?

-Some type of parasite?

-Favorite time of month...

And then it hit you like a sack of bricks.

"Oh nooooo," you whispered, getting out of bed. "No. Please don't be this."

You walked out of your bedroom to find your mom and dad gone at work. Things hadn't changed; pitiful.

You walked outside and down the street toward town, the pain in your stomach throbbing with your thoughts. And what were the thoughts, you ask?

*I could be pregnant. Oh crap.*

*Riku and I DID have sex...*

*And it WAS unprotected...*

*Oh crap...I really could be...*

*I can't handle this!*

*I'm not ready to take this on alone!*

*Why me?*

Tears started to fill your eyes as you walked into the drugstore. Luckily, no one you knew was there. And no one knew you there. The people that worked at the drugstore tended to have either sheltered lives or were really stupid. You felt sorry for them. Although...at this rate, you'd end up as one of them.

*Never thought I'd be doing this like..._this_...* you thought, picking up a pregnancy test with a shaking hand. *While I'm here, I'm getting food.*

You were trying to get back to eating again. Maybe _that_ had something to do with this illness.

So you picked up some crackers and soup and made your way to the counter. A old woman with squinty eyes was there.

"Hey there, kid," she said, ringing up your stuff without even looking at it. You internally breathed a sigh of relief. No questions asked! *phew*

)()()()()(

You sat on your bathroom floor, legs crossed, heart pounding.

*Please say "NOT PREGNANT,"* you begged the little meter.

*Please please please please please...*

When you finally got the results, you could've died right there.

PREGNANT in pretty blue letters.

"AH!!!!!" you shrieked, tossing the stupid piece of ((bleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep)) (Insert your favorite expletive here!) against the wall as hard as you could. It took a moment for it to really hit you. You were pregnant.

"Riku," you whispered, starting to cry. "Why can't you be here...?"

You looked at the broken stupid piece of ((bleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep)) and chucked into the trash can without a second thought. This was rock bottom. You couldn't get lower, could you?

*What am I gonna do?* you asked yourself, curling up into a ball. *If I was on the islands, I'd have friends. But my sister and best friend are dead, my boyfriend is dead, and my parents...*

You shuddered at the thought of them finding out. You couldn't tell them. It would actually be better to hide it, because they weren't the type of parents to get mad about hiding stuff.

*What am I gonna do? I have no future...holy crap...I have no future. I can't do an abortion because my parents would find out, and those are wrong, anyway. Adoption, maybe? Holy crap...I'm gonna die at this rate. Somebody come shoot me.*

You laid back on the cool tile in your bathroom, waiting to get shot. It never happened.

"Crap."

FLASHBACK END

"...People at school started figuring it out faster than my parents," you say, petting Oka-chan with shaking hands. "They didn't noticed until like, three months in, though. Nobody really knew why I was pregnant, but they made fun of me anyway."

FLASHBACK START

You sighed, sitting at your English desk. Another day of enduring torment. Another day closer to the due date. Another day closer to when you future will crash and burn. Another-

"Rei?"

You looked up into the almond eyes of Yihen.

"Are you alright?" he asked, looking genuinely concerned. You nodded, wondering if he knew about "it."

"I'm fine," you said, nodding again.

"Look, I know...Amanda's death was really hard on you, and all of this crap..." He shook his head. "I was thinking, Rei. Maybe you should see the guidance counselor. You look awful right now."

"Gee, thanks," you snapped.

"I'm just trying to help you. I was Manders's friend, too. I miss her.

You sighed again as the bell rang. Yihen walked over to his seat a row back.

"Hey, Reina, looks like you could lose a little stomach weight," one of the catty preppy jock girls named Kirsten said. Her clones-I mean friends...^^;;;-snickered with her.

"Hey, at least she doesn't smear cake on her face," Yihen said suddenly. You felt a smile tug at your mouth. You had never thought of it that way, but the way she wore makeup...he was right. Hah.

"Um, this is called make-up, China-town."

"Yeah, like you need anything to help you. You make up everything you say very well on your own."

You let out a laugh.

"What are you laughing at-"

"Maybe you should just shut that bottomless pit you like to call your mouth and leave me the h3ll alone," you said, glaring at her.

"Come fight me if you think you're so tough."

You immediately jumped to your feet.

Kirsten laughed, "You really wanna fight?"

"Nah, cuz I know I'll beat you too badly. I don't really want to get sued by people that think the United States has fifty-one states."

"Yeah, Puerto Rico doesn't count, loser!" Yihen shouted, flipping her the bird.

FLASHBACK END

"We did get into a fight," you say, grinning. "I kicked her butt...and got suspended."

Okayama mews at you.

"Yihen...moved a few weeks later. It was sudden...He said he was sorry. I haven't heard from him since. He didn't get to find out about _it_." You sigh. "But...that was the night my parents found out..."

FLASHBACK START

"So, Rei, I got a phone call today," your mom said at dinner. You nodded.

"I know. I got suspended for getting into a fight with Kirstie..." you said, trying not to laugh. Yihen took pictures of the results with his nice camera phone. Heeheee....ever wonder what cake looks like when its icing is smeared?

"Rei, what is wrong with you?" your dad asked. "This depression you've fallen into, your grades are slipping, and now this!"

You stayed silent.

"At least tell us why you got into the fight," your mom pleaded.

"...I was sick of her pushing me and Yihen around. She doesn't know when to shut up."

"What did she say?"

"She said..."

You stopped in realization of what was going to happen.

"Rei?"

"We're waiting."

You took a deep breath. "She said I need to lose stomach weight."

"What?"

You stood up from the table and backed away a little. They were definitely starting to piece everything together. The fact that you were bone skinny except for that little tell-tale area...

"Reina. Marie. Nichols. I want the truth and nothing but it," your mom said.

You simply turned your head and walked to your room with long, serious strides. As soon as you got to your room, you entered it and locked the door. You couldn't do anything but hide now.

"REI, I WANT TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT-"

"You really wanna know?!" you shouted through the door, sitting on your bed angrily.

"We want to know the exact truth!"

"Fine! I'm pregnant!" you cried, lying in bed. *Riku, why did you have to go?...*

"YOU ARE _WHAT_?!?!?" your dad shouted as your mom gasped loudly.

"I AM PREGNANT! PREGO! EXPECTING!! HOW THE HELL ELSE DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY IT?!?"

"Rei, why didn't you tell us you were raped?" your mom said through tears.

"Because I wasn't!" You cringed. They were going to be so, so mad. Oh well. At least you prevented it as long as you could.

"Are you saying it was by choice?!"

"..." You couldn't answer, so you didn't. You knew they'd figure it out on their own.

No noises came from the other side of your bedroom door besides your mom's sobs.

"Why..." your dad finally whispered.

"..." It's not like you could've told them! "Oh yeahhhh I was in love with Riku, remember him from my video game? I met him and Kairi and Sora and the others! We lived on the islands and Riku and I were lovers!" That would be a GREAT thing to say...

FLASHBACK END

"Obviously...this isn't the end of the story," you say, twisting your hair around your finger.

FLASHBACK START--A MONTH AND A HALF LATER

You woke with a start another Saturday morning.

*Ughhh...why is this happening to me?* Those were your thoughts every morning you awoke. But today, you started thinking about the baby.

*I'll find out soon whether it's a boy or girl,* you thought, frowning. *Man...this poor kid won't ever know its daddy...what will I tell it? Man...if Riku were here...or if I were on the islands...this wouldn't be that bad.*

You sighed through your nose, tears coming to your eyes.

*I miss you so much, Riku. But...this...this baby...it's a part of you. It's the very last live connection I have to you.* Your heart felt lighter than it had in a while. *Maybe this will be okay... I mean, sure, Riku is dead, and this baby won't ever know a father, but... Holy crap...this baby will be so...beautiful... I hope it has your eyes, Riku. I hope it's a boy...* A small smile made its way onto your face. *I think maybe...I can do this now. This is my piece of you, Riku... You'll never get to see...but I know you'll know. I wish you knew...*

Suddenly you felt a stabbing pain in your stomach. You tensed up, then tried to relax.

*...You know, this baby...is my last hope now. It was made through...such a great love...with someone I loved...and still love. Riku...you-*

Another stabbing pain, and some nausea, hit you hard.

*Maybe I should get up...* you thought, getting out of bed and heading into your bathroom. You weren't looking forward to today. Your mom was going to make you go shopping for new clothes. *sigh*

The pain didn't subside like usual. It just kept getting worse. Leaning against the wall, you winced in pain.

*Something is wrong here,* you thought, your heart racing. *This can't be normal, can it?*

Immediately after that very thought, you felt a terrible pain like a knife digging into you from your ribcage to your hipbone.

"Ahhh," you moaned, squeezing your eyes shut. When you opened them again, you saw something so awful, you felt like dying. "Oh...no..." You almost puked when you saw the reddish-purple, inky blood spilt out before you. "What...!"

You immediately realized what had happened, then started sobbing hysterically.

"No...WHY DOES EVERYTHING DIE?!" you sobbed, unable to move from the pain. A...miscarriage...

...Your life really needed a rewind button.

FLASHBACK END

"That was _it_," you say, sniffing. Okayama is half-asleep on your outstretched legs. "My..._Our_ baby...never got to live... My mom and dad found out that day...they weren't even sad. I could even swear...they were happy about it."


	14. Chapter 13: I Say a Little PrayerFINALE

Chapter 13: I Say a Little Prayer-FINALE FINALE FINALE

Memo: YAY! THE LAST CHAPTER!! I LOVE THIS ENDING! ^^ My special thanks goes to Cj. Cj, I haven't seen you in forever. I know you think you ruined your future. I believe, however, there's still hope. All my heart, your beloved Kc. (Cj is the reason I'm "Kc" and I'm the reason she's "Cj" ...It's a long, long story.) Anyway, Cj is like the real-life Rei--she was my inspiration.

"...Things have changed some since then," you declare, petting Okayama's soft head. "That was over a month ago. I've gotten piercings to try and even out the pain. It hasn't been enough. But, heck, now I can wear all those pairs of earrings at once. I am right now, even."

You tug on your navy knee-high socks again. "Notice how similar our uniforms are to Kairi's in Kingdom Hearts 2? Oh, I did play that game, by the way. It was a lot better than the first one, that's for sure." You sigh. "But it made me miss him more...Anyway, our uniforms are almost exactly the same, minus the tie. We got jackets instead. Weird, isn't it? The school board didn't like the fact that I had the black gloves I wanted to wear every day. 'Couldn't they at least be navy and match?' they said. Hah, I eventually got away with it." You look at your hands, smiling. "I really love these gloves. But...my favorite..."

Pulling it off your finger, you look at the beautiful ring Riku gave you so long ago. Seven months ago...back in July. Now it's March. You've never felt so lonely...especially on stormy, grey days like these.

"It still says 'I Love You,'" you say, tears choking your voice. "Sometimes I'm afraid the words might disappear forever."

Lip trembling, you burst into tears and sob into your hands.

Mysterious Stranger's pOv

You've been everywhere, just looking for her. Literally, all over the state for the past two months on absolutely no munny-sorry, _money_. What a stupid difference...

How can one state hold so many people? And there're other states besides this?! And other countries?! In just one freaking world?! What the heck?!

You sigh through your nose, your heart pounding. At least now people know who you're talking about. But you're really worried. From the things you've been hearing, it doesn't sound like she's doing too well. One person even told you he thought she was going to commit suicide.

Man...

She's really scarred for life.

When you get home, somebody is going to get their butt kicked and mounted on a wall.

Suddenly, approaching an alleyway, you hear sobbing. You stop dead in your tracks. What the heck...? Could it really be...?

"I don't think I can get any lower..." the voice cries. Your heart skips a beat. Oh man. It's her. You're sure of it. Finally...after all these months and weeks and days and hours and minutes and seconds without her...

Back to Your pOv

"I...have nothing left now," you sob. "I might as well just get kidnapped right now and die in a ditch."

You hear Okayama hiss, so you lift your head up to see your only companion run off.

"Okayama? What's-?!"

You turn your head to see a cloaked figure standing at the entrance of the alleyway.

"I didn't mean it!" you squeak, eyes widening. Stumbling to your feet, you slowly start to back away from the approaching figure. You can tell it's definitely a man. Gasping, you turn your back and run as fast as you can...right into a dead end.

At first you wonder if he gave up, but in only a matter of seconds, the man rounds the corner, then stops. You kneel down and curl into a ball. He starts to walk toward you again. By the time he reaches you, you are completely backed into the brick wall behind you.

The stranger is hooded, and you can't see anything about him that would make him familiar. But he kneels down very slowly to your level, almost to a point where you think he might know you.

Psh. Yeah right. He probably has been stalking you for months.

Suddenly the man reaches out and takes your right hand in his two hands...that seem really, really familiar. They're so gentle and...

*Pull it together,* you tell yourself.

The slightly familiar man takes the ring off of your finger.

"Don't!" you cry, snatching it away. He tries to grab for it, but falters as you slip it back on. "Please!... I-it's very precious to me. Please don't take...it...?"

You notice a small strand of long...silver hair. You raise an eyebrow, then shake your head a little.

*Pull it together.*

The familiar man tries again, and you smack his hand away.

"I won't take it; I just want to see it," he says. You gasp. His voice sounds _soooo familiar_!

*Pull it together!*

The really familiar man reaches out one more time and takes a look at the ring. You hear him chuckle.

"It's really you," he says quietly.

Your jaw drops a little. It couldn't be! That's impossible! He is DEAD! DEADER THAN DEAD!! EXPLODED INTO TINY PIECES DEAD!! DEAD DEAD _DEAD_!!!!!

"You..." you whisper, heart pounding in your throat. "...can't be...?"

Slowly and with shaking hands, you reach up and unhood the not-so-strange stranger. Your throat utters a small squeak as you look straight into the without-a-doubt AQUA eyes of..._him_.

You try to say something as he stares back at you. But what can you even say? You're too shocked and happy and tired and just AHHH to say anything! But it's really, really, truly HIM!! There's so much you want to say, but you can't just say it all at the exact same time! You can't decide what to say first! So you remember an old saying and follow it: actions speak louder than words.

Throwing your arms around his neck, you press your lips into his. Tears spill down your cheeks as he kisses you back. Your head is spinning. You can barely breath your heart is pounding so hard. He's alive. He's alive! HE'S ALIVE!! AND HE'S HERE WITH YOU!! OH MY GOSH! DOES THIS MEAN YOU CAN GO HOME?!?!??

*deep inhale*

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I would put more, but I don't wanna waste your time any more than I have to. ^^)

Finally you have to stop because you're crying too hard.

"Rei..." he murmurs, kissing your neck lightly.

"...H-how?! H-how are y-you alive?!" you ask, shaking all over in sheer joy.

"You mean-"

"REIIII?!?"

"Holy crap," you say quietly, standing with Riku. You'd recognize that voice anywhere. "It's my mom. I bet my dad and uncle are here, too."

"That's bad, isn't it?" Riku asks, smirking a little. You felt like screaming and stretching out his mouth into the hugest smirk. YOU HAD REALLY MISSED THAT SMIRK, DARN IT ALL!!

"Very. Very. _Bad_."

Riku holds you close, (you hold him closer) and he slowly begins to lead you toward the entrance of the alleyway.

"We're just gonna have to run for it," he whispers.

"Y-you mean?"

"The ship is just outside of town. I've been all over the place looking for you. I mean, Sora and Kairi gave me a general area that covered, like, ACRES AND ACRES of freaking land. I've seriously been looking for you for a couple of months."

You can't help but gasp. HOW IS HE ALIVE?!? Not that you're COMPLAINING, but HOW?!?! It's NOT POSSIBLE!!!...is it?

"Okay, let's-"

Riku is cut off by the sudden shriek of your mom. You watch in horror as your parents and your uncle appear at the alley's entrance. There's a small stare down between you and your parents and Riku and your uncle that occurs.

"WHO ARE YOU!???!" your mom shouts angrily.

"Run," you whisper in Riku's ear. The two of you bolt off down the sidewalk, sprinting at full-speed.

"GET BACK HERE!!" your dad shouts. You can hear them running after you. Your heart pounding, you let Riku lead you through the familiar streets of your town. Your family trails behind, but are definitely losing strength. Only your uncle is in good shape besides Riku (of course).

"Riku," you say, feeling weak. He cuts you off by picking you up bridal style and carrying you through the streets. "...Never mind." You grin at each other.

Soon you reach an open farmland, followed by a wooded area.

"Back there," he says, still carrying you. You nod.

*I have so much to tell you,* you think, frowning a little. *...Holy crap...what am I gonna do about...? Should I really tell you...?*

Before you know it, you're already back on your ship--yes! _YOUR_ SHIP! Riku quickly sets you down and closes the door. He messes around with some controls and suddenly the ship lifts off into the air.

You are free.

You're going home.

With Riku.

Collapsing onto the floor (literally lying there), you start bawling out of sheer joy. Riku probably thinks you've gone insane. But you have to let it out.

"YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HAPPY I AM RIGHT NOW!" you sob, smiling through your tears.

"Rei..."

You feel Riku lift you up into his arms. He walks over to the windowseat and sits down with you.

"..." You can't even talk. You can barely keep your eyes open to look at him. It seems so surreal! But here you both are, heading home.

"Can I finish telling you what I was saying earlier?" he asks.

"Y-yeah," you sniff, laying your head on his chest. You can hear his heartbeat. But how...?!

"Rei...when I was dead...did you ever talk to me? Like...you were talking to yourself...but to me?"

You nod, unsure of what to think.

"Would it freak you out if I told you I could hear you a lot of the time?"

Your eyes widen. "What...?!"

"I don't know, really. But I could hear your voice, all the time. And one day, some months ago, I literally just woke up in Hollow Bastion. I was fine, like nothing had happened."

"...Are you saying...?"

"I think you have a gift, Rei," Riku says quietly, holding you close. "Maybe that's why you came to the islands in the first place. You've got a greater purpose in life."

"...Maybe." Come to think of it, that makes a heck of a lot of sense. "So...I can talk to dead people...and wake them up..."

"Exactly. Because when I was alive again, I couldn't hear your voice anymore..." Riku looks away for a moment. "There were two other people there in that particular room with me. Two girls. One looked around your age, one was older."

"Holy crap!" you shout, sitting upright. "That could be my sister and Manders!"

"I think it might've been. I sat there for a while, watching them, y'know? They were talking back to you when you thought of them."

Your heart starts pounding. If all this is true, you could bring your sister and Manders back.

"Were they alive?" you ask.

"No...still dead. Just talking every so often." Riku shivers a little. "It was pretty creepy."

"I can only imagine..."

A little disturbed, you get to your feet and walk over to your ship's dashboard.

"That's why we're not going home just yet," Riku says suddenly.

"WHAT?!" you cry, gasping.

"We're going to Hollow Bastion," Riku explains, walking over to you. "I want to see if this is all true. Because if it is, you could still save your sister and friend. They could even stay with us if they want."

"Riku, no! I-I can't..." You double over from lack of words.

"I know you're scared, Rei." Riku straightens you upright, putting his gentle hands on your shoulders. "But we've got to try. Everything's gonna be okay."

"..."

"Do you believe me?"

"...I do."

THE END!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YEAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

SEE YOU IN THE SEQUEL!

Always,

Rei and Riku

Y


End file.
